


Marked

by Jadegirl224



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Swapfell, F/M, How Do I Tag, Papyrus Needs A Hug, Parent W. D. Gaster, Protective Papyrus, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-05-02 13:01:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 54,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14545302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadegirl224/pseuds/Jadegirl224
Summary: Everyone is born with a mark that connects them with their soulmate. Some are super clear, giving you the name of your soulmate, while others are just pictures and you have to rely a bit more on your gut to find your special someone. In this world their are both monsters and humans. Time period wise it's more of medieval times, with lords and castles and all that good stuff. This is completely because I have no self-control and may be addicted to this game...((Technically this is a Papyrus/OC story but you can substitute for yourself if you'd like :3))





	1. Author's Note:Info about the book

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the first work I'm posting on this site and I am open to suggestions and tips! Please know that I have also posted this book on Wattpad under the same name so don't be alarmed if you see it there!

Ok so in this world there are multiple types of of soulmate marks, each classified as differently. People without soulmate marks tend to be looked down on so most people without them just pretend they do. Some people even get fake soul mate tattoos but if they're found out they are usually thrown in jail... it's a pretty serious offense to have or make a fake soulmate mark. There are balls and parties held by richer, more important people for them to find their soulmate. Anyway, that's the basic info about the world now onto characters and soulmate mark classifications.

Classifications:

 **Text-** A soulmate mark with words. It can sometimes include a simple design with it as well. It can be a name or something important to their soulmate.

 **Spot-** A picture soulmate mark. It's smaller and takes up a small section of the body such as a shoulder, wrist, or knee.

 **Artisan-** This is the most intense of all the soulmate marks making it, of course, the most rare. It is a picture that takes up a good portion of the body, such as an entire arm or leg. Sometimes it even spreads to other parts of the body in patches.

 **Faker-** Pretty self explanatory, people with fake soulmate marks.

 **Empty/Blank-** A person without a soulmate mark.

Characters-

These are just some quick descriptions of characters I'm sure will be in the story. There will be other people in the story but this is a nice base.

 **Lady Katherine-** An older cat monster who lives on the edge of town. She's very short but has earned the respect of many. She can be completely inappropriate and embarrassing at times which she finds hilarious. Friend to Lord Gaster and has watched Sans and Papyrus grow up.

 **Lord Gaster-** Easy gets sucked into his work and will goes days without eating or sleeping when left unchecked. ((HE'S MORE LIKE UNDERFELL GASTER BUT WHATEVER)) He has a strong bond with his sons believe it or not and is determined to help them find their soulmate. He can be quite intimidating and loves to show off how much he knows.

 **Lord Sans-** Bossy, short tempered, and takes smack talk from no one. Probably the most feared of the group of skeletons and most likely to lash out on someone for no good reason.

 **Lord Papyrus-** Jerk, joke lover, smoker, ladies man, bit of a flirt, younger brother. Even though he hides it pretty well he's desperate to find his soulmate and isn't interested in anyone unless he's certain they are the one.

 **Hops-** One of the many servants at Lord Gaster's mansion. She is a bunny monster in her mid-twenties and is able to pick up on other's emotions very easily. She may not have any children of her own but can be very motherly

 **Muffet-** Head chef at Lord Gaster's mansion. Best friend of Papyrus and probably know the most about him. Hates people who make fun of her cooking or spiders.

 **Liliana-** Helpful and kind to pretty much everyone she meets. She hates jerks and bullies but often manages to keep her anger under control. Knows self defense and is pretty strong thanks to doing a lot of manual labor. Does about any job she can find. Friend of Lady Katherine and helps her out whenever she can.

Alright, now we can start!


	2. An Average Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, first chapter!.... not really exciting I know but things should start to get better and less boring plus Lord Papyrus finally arrives in the next chapter! yay!

 Liliana woke up and stretched her arms before looking outside. The sun was just barely starting to peak over the horizon. While most people would be upset for waking up this early and go back to bed Liliana was ecstatic. She jumped out of bed and grabbed a change of clothes, a black tank top and some dark brown cargo pants before slipping on some comfortable shoes. Most girls wore dresses but for Liliana's jobs that wasn't the most practical. She tied her hair back and grabbed an apple for breakfast before heading outside. Since she was up so early she could get her work done early and still have time to relax and help out Lady Katherine. With determination she set out to start her daily tasks.

.................................

     The sun was now getting close to the middle of the sky which meant most people were either preparing or getting ready to have lunch. Liliana glanced up to the sky to check the time before focusing ahead again. She had already washed Madam Oliver's clothes and had folded and delivered Ms. Phillip's hers. During the morning she had also checked over Ms. Phillip's son's homework, helped out the postman by delivering some extra boxes, and reorganized the messy shelves at Mr. Eli's store. Currently she was carrying a pole on her shoulders with a bucket full of water on each end back towards the laundromat to refill the washing buckets with clean water for the other workers. 

      "Liliana, you already done with your clothes for the day?" Jessica, a fellow worker at the laundromat asks. Liliana nods. "You must have been up early, I know Madam Oliver loves to drop off a lot of clothes at once. I swear she does it to see us scramble." Jessica huffed and Liliana chuckled. She set the pole down and picked up the individual buckets before pouring them into a larger bucket. 

       "Ok, here, the water's ready for you to start washing." Liliana said. 

         "Thank you dear, we would do it ourselves but we are not nearly as strong as you." Another worker, her name being Rin, said. 

        "Of course, glad I could help. Anything else you guys need?" 

       "No, no, we should be good from here. You have already done your fair share of work for the day and I know you have other jobs to do so go ahead and run along." Jessica said pouring clothes into the larger bucket. 

         "Alright, I'll be back tomorrow morning." Liliana nodded before grabbing the pole and sprinting off. She was heading for Lady Katherine's house by the edge of town. She couldn't help but grin, Lady Katherine was one of her only real friends and was sort of like a mother to her. Though most people in town were nice.... it was like there was an invisible barrier between her and them. Like they were afraid they'd get some sort of disease from her. Katherine wasn't like that. She was kind and funny and helpful. Katherine didn't judge Liliana like the rest of the town had and Liliana was always sure to thank her for that, in any way she could. Liliana pushed herself to go faster as she saw the little house in the distance  with smoke coming from the chimney. Out of breath she heartily knocked on the door. 

      "Hello? Oh! Hello my dear, I was not expecting you so early!" Lady Katherine smiled as she opened the door, putting a hand to her cheek. 

         "I made sure to get an early start on work today so that I could get here without any distractions or appointments." Liliana answered, looking down on Lady Katherine. She had no disrespect for her but Lady Katherine was a bit.... vertically challenged. 

      "Oh ho, I get you all to myself this afternoon then, lucky me." Katherine smirked. "Do come in." She said moving to the side. Liliana didn't hesitate and walked right inside, heading for the living room. 

          "What needs to be done today Lady Katherine?" Liliana asked. Katherine sighed, she had tried to insist Liliana call her Kat or at least Katherine to no avail. 

      "The garden needs to be weeded again and I'm certain there's a hole in the roof, those pesky birds..." Katherine growled slightly. "Then there's the usual stuff, some water from the well, sweeping, and laundry.... but I assure you I can do most of these on my own." 

         "How about I start with fixing the roof and getting you some water." Liliana suggested knowing those were the harder tasks. "I can start working on some of the other chores after that and we'll see how far I get before sundown, alright?"

     "hm... alright." Katherine sighed. She knew there was no use arguing with Liliana once she had made up her mind, that girl could be too stubborn for her own good. "But first we're going to have lunch."

.................................

      The sun was just starting to set and Liliana was just finishing up on weeding. Like she had suggested she first did the roof and then got water for Lady Katherine. Then she had done the laundry and begun weeding. She was slightly upset she wouldn't have time to do the sweeping too but that was probably the easiest of the chores so at least that was the one left.  

        "You should probably start heading home dear, it'll be dark before you know it." Liliana jumped at the sudden voice before whipping around and seeing Lady Katherine trying to hold back a laugh. Liliana sighed, standing up and dusting herself off while stretching her legs. "But first have some tea before you go, it'll help you get to sleep good tonight and keep those joints from locking up on ya." Liliana nodded, gently taking the cup and sipping it. She smiled and sighed as the warm liquid traveled through her. "...are you having any trouble in town?" Liliana was quiet for a minute. Katherine asked her this question every day before she left. 

        "No, I am alright, most people in town are actually quite nice." Liliana responded before taking another sip.

        "You say that everyday." Katherine huffed.

      "And you ask the same question everyday."

         "True... but if you showed people your soul mate mark then they would treat you better and I wouldn't be so worried..."

     "I don't care if people think I'm a blank." Liliana shrugged. "I don't want to be forced together with my soul mate or have people judge me because of my mark. I want to get to know who they really are not just how they act because I'm their 'true love' or whatever..." She said watching the sunset.

         "Alright, fine. But if you ever do want me to set up a meeting between you and your soul mate you just let me know honey." Lade Katherine winked. Liliana rolled her eyes, handing back the mostly empty tea cup.

     "I'm good, thanks... I'll see you tomorrow!" Liliana waved back as she ran off towards town. 

            Katherine waved back with a smile. She hadn't judged Liliana when she thought she was a blank which is why Liliana eventually had the courage to tell her the truth. Liliana knew she wasn't going to be judged or treated different by Katherine for being an Artisan, even if it was something of a rarity. Of course Lady Katherine had known immediately who Liliana's soul mate was, there was no mistaking it. Liliana insisted she find them herself and Lady Katherine respected her determination. She smirked to herself with a chuckle before heading inside. Those two would make quite a unique pair.....


	3. Meeting Lord Papyrus

Liliana's P/V:

       The sun was about a quarter high in the sky. It was starting to get warm though it wasn't bad yet. I was carrying buckets of water back towards the laundromat just like the day before. They shifted slightly on the ends of my pole so I had to go pretty slow if I wanted there to actually be water left when I got there. Looking forward I could see a group of girls with dresses ranging from normal work day clothes to formal gowns crowding around someone, their fangirling screams filling the air and I could hear some of them swooning. As I got slightly closer I could see who was receiving attention from all the these maidens. Lord Papyrus. He had a habit to come into the town and flirt with the girls. A lot of the girls would try and socialize with him and try to convince him they were his soul mate either because they wanted to get a higher social rank or their parents wanted it. I avoided him whenever possible since I was not interested in that and didn't want to have to deal with the crowds. Of course though he had to be on my route to the laundromat today. I could try and go around but by then most of the water likely would spill or evaporate since the sun is coming out. I sighed continuing in that direction, praying that I wouldn't be noticed. No such luck. One of the girls looks over me as I start to walk by and lets out a shriek before quickly moving away from me. Some of the other girl's in that area quickly follow suit so the circle around Lord Papyrus is broken up and they stay on the right side of him, away from me. I raise an eyebrow but say nothing, continuing forward. 

      "Woah, what's got you so startled my little kittens?" Papyrus asks with a silky voice. I suppress a shutter at his nickname for them though they did follow him around like helpless animals. 

           "Her." One spat out venomously while pointing at me. I could almost feel the heat of her glare on me as I stopped walking. 

      "She's a blank, rumor has it if you get too close you'll become a blank too!" Another one cried out.

          "That girl's the only blank in the town, and, to make things worst, she can't even act like a normal girl."

      "And her fashion sense is atrocious! I don't think I've even seen her wear something near to a dress or skirt." Geez, leave it to these spoiled brats to make a big deal over me preferring to wear pants. 

         "A blank huh...." Papyrus said sounding genuinely curious. I turn my head slightly to look over at him and he was suddenly closer then I remembered. He leans over so that his face is only centimeters from mine. From the corner of my eye I can see some of the girls jealous or freaking out, it they were in my spot they probably would have fainted from being so close to him. I don't give him that satisfaction though and simply look at him with a blank expression. He looks me up and down a couple of times before backing up slightly. "Interesting...." Papyrus notices the buckets of water, though doesn't say anything, simply starring at me as if waiting for me to have a reaction, to say something or marvel over him. I look straight ahead again and begin walking towards the laundromat. Before I can even process what's happening I smack face first on the sidewalk, the water buckets spilling out onto the ground and the pole rolling away from me. I push myself up, holding a hand to my nose as I look back for what tripped me. There was Lord Papyrus, with a smug smirk on his face and his foot out that caused me to fall. He erupted with laughter and the girl's around him quickly joined in. I starred in shock for a minute before grabbing the now empty buckets and pole, heading back to the well to fill them up again. 

           "Freak." One of the girls shouted causing me to grip the handle of the buckets tighter.

     Times like this are when I really wanted to show my soul mark, make them sorry they ever teased and hurt me. Show them that I'm special and get them to view me highly. I sigh to myself, that's rather shallow isn't it? This is why I hate soul marks. Well, no, not exactly. Soul marks themselves were rather interesting and amazing, it was the barriers and prejudice they caused that I hated. I rubbed my still aching nose with the wrist of my hand with a sigh. I was going to have to take a different route back to the laundromat it seemed.... 

.................................

     It was already late in the afternoon when I made it to Lady Katherine's house. I had a strip of bandage on my nose that some of the laundromat workers insisted I put on as if it was going to magically heal it. It was slightly bruised but not anything too bad. I knocked on the door to hear a crash sound from inside followed by a muffled "Come in!" 

       "Lady Katherine, are you alright?" I asked as I walked in, shutting the door behind me and beginning to let my eyes scan the house. I hear another crash and sped towards the source of the sound. I entered the kitchen to find Lady Katherine sitting up on the floor with pots and pans all around her. She looked thoroughly annoyed and was rubbing the top of her head while muttering something. I let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "You sure made a mess in here."

     "Well  _excuse me_  for trying to reach something from the top shelf." Katherine rolled her eyes as she stood up. I shook my head slightly with a chuckle before starting to pick up the pots and pans that had been scattered all over the floor. "What happened to you, your nose looks purple..." She said her voice turning from annoyed to a softer more gentle voice. 

        "Oh... I ran into a bit of trouble today... someone tripped me for being a blank and I face planted pretty hard...." I admitted.

     "Who was it? I swear I'll go to their house right now and I'll-" 

          "Don't worry about it, it's no big deal. I'm use to this sort of thing and my nose will be better soon, it's not cut or broken or anything just bruised." I quickly reassured her. The fire in her eyes told me she would kill who ever did this and she did not need to be on the run for murdering a Lord.  

         "....well if they ever, and I mean ever, bother you in any way again you let me know and I'll take care of them." 

         "Yes ma'am." 

       "Now since we've both had an eventful day it seems and it'll be getting late soon how about we just bake something today and leave chores to tomorrow." Katherine smiled clapping her hands together. I laughed.

      "That sounds great." 


	4. An Unexpected Friend

Liliana's P/V:

     2 weeks have passed since the incident. My nose is completely back to normal but I can still hear some of the girls whispering and giggling when I walk by. I sighed to myself. I was currently carrying some boxes over to the library from the mailman, he seemed to be having a bit of trouble carrying everything by himself so I offered to help. Lady Katherine told me she would be busy today, visiting a friend's house or something. I didn't pry but was definitely disappointed I wouldn't get to see her today. That meant I was going to have to distract myself with jobs and chores around town or just go home early. Neither sounded really bad but... neither sounded really great either. Guess I need to learn to be more content. I shifted the boxes in my arms so I could opened the door only to have it swing open and cause me to take about 6 steps back in surprise. Ms. Agatha was walking out, waving her fan in front of her face as usual and I couldn't see a book in her other gloved hand. I suppose she wasn't a big fan of reading... probably only went to try and dig up some gossip from the librarian. As soon as her eyes landed on me she scoffed and walked quickly past me. 

         "Disease ridden blank." She huffed as she past me, keeping it quiet but obviously hopping for me to hear. I stood there for a second in the sudden silence that followed before opening the door for myself and walking in. Honestly I was used to hearing such statements, especially from her but it would still get to me at times. Like a light sting to the heart. I placed the boxes down quietly on the desk counter before looking around for the librarian. He had probably tried to drown himself in books after being pestered by the great Ms. Agatha. A smirk tugged every so slightly at my lips as I started wondering down the seemingly abandoned and silent isles. I brushed my hands over the spines of the books, my fingers touching them ever so lightly as if they'd turn to dust. There was a good amount of books in the town library not to mention it was a decent size so it could hold enough to keep you occupied for quite a long time... that is if I had time to really sit down and read. I turned the corner glancing up from the shelves to see the librarian. I smiled, he was completely focused on whatever book he was reading this time. The librarian's name is Mr. L. Lizard. He's a couple inches taller than me making him only around 5' 4" and his has green skin (scales?) with three spikes on his head. Mr. Lizard wears huge circular glasses, a rusty orange turtleneck shirt, and brown suit pants. He also has a bit of a snout that's pointed at the end and almost always stuffed in a book.

      I coughed lightly to try and avoid startling him too much which I've done once or twice. 

        "Oh, Liliana, I did not realize you had come in." He smiled looking up from his book and sliding it back on the shelf. "What can I help you with." Monsters. Pretty much all of them seemed to be so much kinder then the humans in town no matter what they may have heard about me. Well, except for that stupid Lord Papyrus. I shook him from my thoughts, after all he wasn't worth thinking about. 

     "I brought by two new boxes of books today and just wanted to let you know they were on the counter before I left." I smiled in return. 

           "Really? They must have arrived early.... thank you, I'll start sorting through them now. Please help yourself to any of the books here, just let me know if you're borrowing anything before you leave." Mr. Lizard said before heading towards the front of the store. I looked back over the titles again before pulling a book out. 

_'Beauty and the Beast'_

     I smiled slightly before putting it back. It was a story my mother had read to me before and she used to tease my father he was the beast. I waved goodbye to the librarian as I headed out and he simply gave a smile since his arms were full of books. I offered to help him put them away but he said he liked doing it himself. I stuffed my hands in my pockets as I sat down on the bottom step of the library entrance. Didn't seem like there was going to be much work left for me to do today... I paused seeing something move out of the corner of my eye. People moving is quite normal in the town of course but this thing seemed to be floating. That's a little unusual. I hopped up and with nothing else to do decided to follow the strange figure. I turned the corner where they had went and started to walk down it, looking around for any sign of the figure. I saw them near the end of the street, turning again faster then I had originally thought.

     "Crap." I muttered before bolting down the street and turning, skidding slightly before dashing forward again. The blur flew into the forest and for a split second my mind yelled at me.  _'What are you doing?! Following some strange figure, probably a powerful monster since they are floating, into the woods were no one is!'_  I shook my head and ignored the perfectly logical reasoning of my brain and followed them into the woods. After a couple minutes of running with no luck finding the figure I stopped, putting my arm against a tree as I bent over slightly trying to catch my breath. "I know you're here, there's no use hiding!" I called out as I last resort. I glanced around but didn't see anything. Turning around to head home I bumped into something hard and fell onto my backside. "Ow..." I muttered looking up at what I had just hit. It was the floating creature only this time I could actually look at it. It appeared to be a floating skull, it sort of reminded me of a dragon's head by it's shape. It had a narrow snout and rows of teeth, with the front bottom teeth extended up higher them the rest and the front top teeth extending even further then those; they hung off the bottom jaw some. It had black eye sockets with white pinprick's for 'eyes' and was just staring at me in silence. I tilted my head slightly, I felt like I had seen this before. "Wait a minute, you're my--no way." I said pushing myself off the ground. The creature backed up slightly still unsure.

          "It's alright, I won't hurt you..." I smiled gently, reaching out my hand to pet it but letting it decide whether or not to let me. The creature still looked menacing and powerful after all and I'm not a complete idiot. It slowly moved closer to me before leaning into my hand. I giggled slightly, my hand look so small compared to the creature, it was rather large after all. "What's your name?" The creature let out a low growl and glanced away. "...what was that?" 

        " **S** pa **Rk**...." It said through growls.

    "It's very nice to meet you Spark, my name is Liliana." I smiled. It quickly looked back to me, coming closer.

         " **YO** u c **aN un** d **eRS** TaN **d?....** "

     "Yeah, you're voice sounds a bit weird but I can understand, why wouldn't I?" 

        " **We** LL I' **m nOT Ta** lKI **NG I** n en **gLi** sh. **.. i** T **'s soRt** a A MIx **beT** we **en G** row **lING an** d **A Sk** eLE **TOn La** ngu **AGE.** "

    "Oh....I see.... but I think I know why." 

        " **Pft, YeaH** Ri **gHT.** "

    "You're part of my soul mate mark." The creature simply stared at me, probably unsure of how to respond.

            " **PR** Ov **e iT.** " My face turned bright red and I was going to refuse but Spark probably would attack me if I did that. I sighed, turning around and lifting up the back of my shirt. My soul mate mark took up pretty much my entire back. I starred at the ground, shifting from foot to foot as I waited awkwardly. I felt him push his teeth up against my back and I tensed up. " **I b** eliE **VE** y **OU.** " 

      "Ok good." I said quickly stepping forward and shoving the back of my shirt down. Spark growled in a way that made it sound like he was chuckling. "..I need you to promise me something Spark." He titled his head slightly before nodding. "Don't tell your owner I'm their soul mate. After all you're a type of special attack right? I've heard of soul mates to monsters having a picture of their special one's special attack."

            " **I A** M a sp **ECi** a **l a** ttA **CK buT** W **Hy s** hoUl **d I k** eE **P** Y **Ou SeCRE** T?" 

      "Because, I don't want him to like me just because of our soul mate marks or view me differently because I'm an artisan, I want him to like me... for me." 

         " **G** eE **Z How** cl **iCHe and Sen** tIM **Ental...** "

   "Hey, promise!" 

         " **A** lriG **HT,** A **LRIg** ht **i P** ro **mIse** , Ju **ST caL** M **doWN.** "

     "Thank you." I smiled, letting out a relieved sigh. 

          " **stiLl Cl** ic **he thOUgh....** " Spark muttered.

     "Cliche or not a promise is a promise." I reprimanded firmly in case he was getting any ideas. "I should probably start heading back home soon..." I glanced around. I knew a bit about the forest but I honestly had no idea how to get home from here.Spark seemed to notice my dilemma pretty quickly and nudged me, nodding over to the right before leading the way out of the forest. My smile grew wider as we exited the forest and I could feel the warmth of the setting sun against my skin. I stretched my arms before noticing Spark watching me intently. "Um... can I help you?" 

        " **i WAs th** INKIN **G siNce Y** o **U aRE My mASTe** r's S **oULm** at **E I sh** Ou **LD s** TA **y w** iT **H you a** nD **In** sU **re Yo** Ur sa **feTy.** "

    "I will be fine, I can handle myself." I started, patting his snout reassuringly. "Besides, people would notice and get suspicious and your master would obviously know something was up." I added to strengthen my argument before he could get another growl in. 

       " **ALr** igH **T...... bUt I** wi **LL b** e VisT **iNG tO En** sU **rE YouR Safe** Ty **.** " 

  "Ok, ok, that should be fine." I ran my fingers through my hair. "I do have multiple jobs around town and DO NOT need you following me around as I try to do them. I will be up early in the morning and get home usually around sunset depending on how work and chores go for the day. Those are the times you can check in on me... the last thing I need is for more people to think I'm crazy by talking to a floating skull." The last part I muttered under my breath. It wasn't Spark's fault but it was the truth of what would happen.... "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow." I patted his head again before starting to walk home. I could hear the low hum of his magic as he followed me. "Spark..." I said in a slightly threatening tone. "What are you doing." 

       " **Ma** Kin **g SU** Re **yOu geT** Ho **mE SaFE.... PLus I NEE** d To **KnoW wH** erE **yoU l** I **Ve to** cHe **Ck On** YOu..." Oh. He had a pretty good point. I continued home, starting to get nervous as we got close to town, clenching my fists. I was afraid of what people would think, and more importantly what they might  _do_  to Spark. ". **..you rEA** llY d **On'T W** aNT **THem** to S **ee Me** HUH **?** "

      "I'm not exactly the most popular person in town so I guess... I guess I'm a bit worried about how they'd react to you being with me...."

      " **....TH** en We **wiLL noT** l **eT TheM see** ME **...** "

   "What?" I asked turning around and as soon as a did a small figure flew into my arms. I looked down to see Spark in a smaller form.

      " **Now you can hide me more easily.** " His voice was softer and slightly higher pitched... more like a child's voice compared to his normal one. I have to admit, he was pretty freaking cute. I set him gently on my shoulder as I untied the jacket from around my waist and put it on. I had grabbed it today in case it rained to help give me some more cover and at this point no one would think it unusual to wear a jacket since the sun was setting. The jacket cast a shadow over Spark and hid most of him, a bit peaking out so he could try to see. No one ever got that close to me anyway so for today that was a blessing. I still walked rather quickly back home, giving a wave to some of the people still out and about in the town. I walked inside after unlocking the door and closed it softly behind me. There was a kitchen to the right and a bookshelf with a cushioned chair by it in the center of the room. To the left was a set of stairs that led up to my room and the bathroom. 

    "Alright, here we are, home sweet home." Spark flew out of my jacket, staying small (thank goodness he'd probably break something on accident otherwise). He zipped around the kitchen as I tossed my jacket onto the coat rack. He glanced at the books and then looked up at the closed door upstairs, giving me a glance. "Spark, don't you dare." With that said Spark barreled into my room, who knows how he opened the door. I pounded up the stairs, rushing into my room to see him going through my closet. I grabbed him, pulling him out of there and opened the widow before throwing him out. "Don't you know it's rude to go into a lady's room without permission?" I said teasingly with my hands on the window, ready to quickly slam it shut if he tried to get back in. Spark rolled his eyes, turning around and starting to leave.

     "..Spark!" I called out to him after a minute. He stopped, turning halfway and looking back at me. "...I'm looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow." I smiled. He floated there for a second before chuckling and heading off into the forest.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Spark's text is so annoying.
> 
> That's all I got to say.


	5. Morning Flower

Liliana's P/V:

   I woke up to loud banging on my window. I groaned, rubbing my face and hoping it wasn't some dumb bird trying to get inside again. I threw off the covers and opened the window leaning out slightly but didn't see anything outside.

      " **MorNIn'** " I looked down to see Spark floating there at his original size with something in his mouth. I backed up a bit as he floated up, offering me an orange lily just like the ones on my soul mate mark. I took it carefully from his rows of sharp teeth. It was pretty much in perfect condition....

        "Thank you." I smiled up at him. 

      " **WHat dO YOu HavE tO Do todaY?** "

         "Pretty much everyday I work at the laundromat, helping out with some customers and delivering laundry. I also bring freshwater around mid-morning to noon since not a lot of the women currently working there can handle carrying multiple buckets of water back and forth in the heat of the day. I also help out at some of the shops with picking up new supplies and dropping them off as well as sorting. Then once most the business around town is done I go over to a friend's house and assist her with her chores and cooking." 

     " **BuSY GirL aREN't 'ChA?** "

        "Well don't have anything else to do so why not do everything I can around town." I shrugged. Spark nodded and flew inside, pushing past me. "Um,  _excuse_ me? What do you think you're doing?" 

      " **CoMIng InsiDe, don'T Ya KNow It'S RuDE to NOT lET a GueST iN?** "

          "Fine, fine...." I huffed pinching the bridge of my nose. "Just go downstairs for now so that I can get changed."

       " **I'M GooD wITh sTAyinG IN HeRE.** "

           "Well I'm not!" I yelled putting my foot on his snout and kicking him out into the hallway before slamming the door, my face bright red. I growled as I heard him laughing and I quickly locked the door before closing the window and drawing the curtains back a bit. I rummaged through my closet, most of my work and normal clothes thrown on the floor and ironically needing to be washed. Picking up a pair of orange pants I threw them on the bed and then looked around for a shirt. Most of my tops covered my back which was a good thing, anytime I wore one with a cut out in the back I'd have to wear a jacket or sweater with it. I sighed looking at the dresses I had hanging up. I really didn't want to wear one but if I was careful enough I wouldn't rip it or anything... I grabbed a simple black dress. It went to my mid-thighs (one reason I didn't wear it much), had short sleeves, and a shiny peter-pan collar. I put on the orange pants, which were more like skinny jeans and then slipped on the dress over top before fixing my hair up into a bun. Unlocking the door I glanced into the hallway and let out a sigh to see Spark wasn't there. Hopping down the stairs I noticed Spark sleeping on my reading chair. Did it really take that long for me to get changed? I grabbed a bite to eat before heading out to begin working, patting Spark on the head gently before I left.

.........................

     As the day had went on multiple people noticed my outfit and seemed pleased that it was at least a step closer to what a women would normally wear. Too bad for them it was only going to last for the day. Currently I was wondering how Lady Katherine was going to react to my outfit... no doubt she'd try to make some witty remark and tease me about it before complementing me. That seemed to just be her personality. I tapped on her door before walking inside. 

      "Lady Katherine, it's Liliana!" I called out in hopes of not scaring her that someone just entered her house.  

         "Oh hello dear I was just-..... oh my is that a dress, whatever is the special occasion?" Lady Katherine smirked. "Perhaps you are finally here to ask about your soul mate and are planning to go to him immediately, letting him sweep you off you feet and kiss you as you walk into the sunset!"

      "Nope just out of clean shirts." I shrugged keeping a straight face.

           "Aw, you're no fun dear...." She pouted. 

     "I can be fun, I'm just more mature then you are." I smirked walking into the kitchen as a whistle echoed from it. I pulled down the tea set, putting it on one of her silver trays and laid down only two cups with it. Taking out a bag of tea and I used a small spoon to add a bit of the mixture to the currently empty tea pot. I grabbed the oven mits before picking up the now boiling water kettle and poured it into the tea pot and mixed the water and herbs together. Grabbing the bowl of sugar and small pitcher of creamer I gently set them on as well before going into the living room. Lady Katherine was still pouting, now sitting on the couch with her arms crossed.

         "I should make you do twice the chores as usual just for that."

    "I'd be happy to help Lady Katherine." I smiled placing the tray on the coffee table and pouring some tea into both cups before adding four sugar cubes to her and handing it to her. 

          "You make it really hard to stay mad at you by being kind." Lady Katherine whined as I mixed her tea for her before letting her drink it. 

     "What can I say, I'm just too good for you." I teased, sitting down beside her and putting one sugar cubeand a dash of cream in mine before taking a sip. For a couple minutes we just sat there in silence, drinking our tea and letting out content sighs. 

          "Well since you made the tea I'll go carry all of this back into the kitchen." Lady Katherine said picking up the tray and leaving the room. I set my cup down on the table.

       " **BOO!** " I yelped, jumping to my feet and whipping around to the voice. Spark was at the window laughing his head off like an idiot. 

          "What the heck! Why are you even here- wait... have you been following me?!" I yelled out. 

       "Liliana is everything alright?" Lady Katherine asked hurrying back in. 

           "Oh, yes I'm sorry, Spark here just gave me a scare. I met him yesterday and I'm sure he'll be leaving now." I glared over at him. 

     "So you two have met, that's wonderful!" Lady Katherine smiled and I looked at her confused. "I've know Sparky here since before his master could control him, how else do you think I knew who you soulmate was?" I blinked before glancing away. I had never really considered it before....

          " **heY TheRE KaT.** " Spark said flying over and receiving a pat from Lady Katherine. " **SeeMS LikE We'RE BOTh stUCk wiTh sCARdy PaNTs...** "

    "I heard that jerk." I shot a glare at him.

             "Oh and you already understand him, this is so wonderful! Have you told your master about her yet?"

        " **NaH thE GiRLy seEMS sEt of FinDin' hiM herSELF.** "

             "She is quite stubborn in that regard." Lady Katherine agreed.

          ' _Do they not notice I am still standing right here??...._ ' I thought.

        " **ThOUgh.....** " Spark added with a hint of amusement in his voice. 

            ' _Oh no._ '

         " **I dID teLL HIm i foUnd His soULMAte. He won'T StoP bUGGIn' mE About it NoW.** "

              "Then you shouldn't have told him in the first place!" I said annoyed and somewhat angry. Still he technically hadn't broken the promise since his "master" or whatever didn't know who I was. I rubbed my face with my hands and groaned while Katherine snickered and Spark just floated there without a care in the world. "Well, won't you  _master_  be worried about where you are? After all he is trying to pester you til you listen to him right?"

      " **i DISappeAr aLL ThE tIMe, nOTHIn' fOr yoU tO WOrry 'BouT priNCEss...** "

              "Don't call me princess." I snapped. 

       " **WoaH THerE, SOMeone'S FiesTY.** " I groaned, rolling my eyes and focusing my attention on Lady Katherine. 

             "What chores need to be done today?"

Papyrus' P/V:

             I twirled the flower around in my hand, resting my head in my hand with my elbow on my desk. I hadn't gotten any work done today which wasn't too unusual... the weird thing was that I hadn't dosed off all day. I was thinking about Spark... That good for nothing blaster. Told me he knew who my soulmate was but refused to tell me which lucky girl it was. All the girls in town seemed head over heels for me so it wasn't easy to figure out who it was... well there were a couple girls I definitely hoped it wasn't. The only "clue" Spark had given me was an orange lily.... What the heck is this even suppose to mean?! I growled slightly in annoyance and leaned back in my chair, propping my feet up on the desk laying my head back towards the ceiling and closing my eyes with a sigh. Of course as soon as I get comfortable the door bursts open.

        "YOU LAZY GOOD FOR NOTHING BROTHER, ARE YOU DOZING OFF AGAIN?!" Sans screamed at me.

             "Nah, just thinking." I replied not moving.

      "ABOUT WHAT!"

              "My soulmate."

      "You found them?" Sans asked surprised. 

               "Nope." I sat up, popping the p. "Spark did, but he won't tell me who it is." Resting my head back on the desk as I folded up my arms. 

      "Only you would have a pet, a _weapon_ , that doesn't listen to you." Sans scoffed crossing his arms over his chest. I shrugged. "Did you get him to tell you  _anything?_ " I held up the flower, holding it out to Sans.

            "Said it was a clue." 

      "A clue for what?"

            "For finding her."

      "Hm... perhaps father might know something about it, let us discuss it with him." Sans decided taking the flower and spinning on his heel before walking out of the room. 

          "Have fun." I called out to him closing my eyes. 

      "YOUR SOULMATE YOU'RE COMING TOO!" He yelled back. I groaned, my brother was not one to be messed with, not when he was serious about something. I stood up and stretched my bones, a satisfying pop filling the room before I trotted out into the hallway and followed an impatient Sans. ".....we will find her Papyrus." He said softly after a moment of silence.

           "Yeah... I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will eventually get you guys a full pic of Liliana's soul mate mark but for now you're gonna have to wait ;3
> 
> And look, another point of view for once! I was considering going back to 3rd person and keeping it like that for the rest of the book.... but there's something about first person that I really like and I just find it easier to write in. Hopeful anyone who reads this is ok with that and doesn't get too annoyed...


	6. Trips and Apologies

Liliana's P/V:

        Spark checks up on me every day since and sometimes stows away in my pocket or jacket (which I've had to wear increasingly more thanks to him stalking me). At this point I was starting to get use to having him around and I must admit it was nice to have someone else to talk to other than Lady Katherine despite him being a total pervert at times. Today the laundromat was closed and I had finished up at Lady Katherine's so I was just wondering around town at this point. She told me she had to get ready for some event coming up that'd she'd talk more about later but it seemed like she needed sometime to herself so I left. Spark said his master was starting to get annoyed at him and keeping closer tabs on him so we wouldn't get to see each other as much which meant things were going to be more like before. He hadn't been around for that long but.... what can I say the little guy grew on me and he had become something I could depend on. And now he was gone.... 

         _'No. Calm down. He's just coming around less. That's it. You're still friends.'_ I repeated to myself in my mind. Spark was almost like a big brother to me, he had even helped me treat some wounds after I got beat up for being a blank. Besides the whole reason he was doing this was to make sure he didn't accidentally let my soul mate know where I lived. I put my hands behind my head as I walked, smiling to some of the towns people as I went by. A blood curdling screech stopped me in my tracks. I looked forwards towards the noise to see girls lined up on both sides of the street as Lord Gaster, Lord Sans, and Lord Jerk walked down the street. Everyone had cleared out of the way as they headed down the street. They usually came into town every complete of weeks to a couple of months depending on how busy they are. They do like to come and look things over since they are practically in charge of the city after all. Gaster lead the group, walking in the center with a sense of power and dignity to him, his cloak flowing behind him with his steady steps. Sans was on his right sending a glare here and there though he had a smug and proud smirk on his face. Papyrus was on his left sending winks and small waves to some of the girls causing them to freak out. I let my hands drop to my side, having to restrain myself from giving him a piercing glare. His gaze met mine and his smile seemed to grow, a mischievous glint in his eye-sockets.

         "Hey there blank! Long time no see!" He grinned, the nickname causing both his brother and father to stop turning their attention towards me. I politely gave a bow.

    "My Lords." I said calmly. 

          "The thing speaks!" Papyrus chuckled causing me to grind my teeth as I stood back up straight. "I hope you came to give me an apology."

     "....an apology?...." I repeated raising an eyebrow. 

         "Don't tell me you forgot already. When we first met you fell and your bucket almost hit me in the face." Papyrus replied. I clenched my fists. 

_'_ _Which wouldn't have happened if you didn't trip me to begin with you little-'_

"I'm waiting." He said cutting off my thoughts with a sicking smirk as he crossed his arms. I glanced around and everyone there was silent, simply watching. Lord Sans was tapping his foot, obviously annoyed with the delay and Gaster seemed to be observing the whole ordeal. 

     "I'm sorry My Lord, please excuse my clumsiness." I said trying to keep the venom out of my voice as I bowed again. 

           "I suppose I can let it slide this time  _blank_." He grinned pleased with his accomplishment and beginning to leave. That was it. I had enough of this egotistical jerk getting whatever he wanted and treating me like dirt. I put my foot out tripping him instantly, guess he never expected that. He landed face first into the dirt road and a few gasps echoed through the crowd. Sans looked back compeltley shocked by the event and Gaster once again simply seemed to observe.

       "Whoops. Sorry  _My Lord_ , I guess I'm just too careless for my own good. Though the  _dirt_  does seem like a  _much better place_  for a  _jerk_  like you!" I yelled at him before running off, pushing some people out of my way as I ran. I knew better than to stay after insulting someone like that. 

             "YOU LITTLE BRAT GET BACK HERE!" Papyrus' scream filled the town, almost making me turn back and apologize hoping he wouldn't kill me but I resisted the urge and kept running, pumping my arms at my side for more speed. Where exactly I was going I hadn't decided, right now I was focusing on not getting put in jail or getting hit or whatever happens when you disrespect a Lord. I don't know I've never done something like that before. I didn't hear any footsteps behind me but I didn't stop running. In the distance I could see the edge of the forest and smoke rising up. 

.........................

Papyrus' P/V:

               "YOU LITTLE BRAT GET BACK HERE!" I screamed out as I sat up, watching her sprint off. I growled and stood up, brushing myself off and looking at the other two. Gaster seemed to be contemplating the situation though I could tell he was amused even though he hid it well. Sans seemed to finally understand what just happened and let out a low chuckle though he was cracking his knuckles. He wanted to go after that human just as bad as I did. I put a hand to my face and felt it a bit, didn't seem like there were any new cracks and luckily skeletons can't bruise so the pain would be gone in a little while. "I swear next time I see her she's going to be sorry...." I muttered.

        "Come on now, let us keep searching." Dad said turning around and continuing down the street as if nothing happened. Sans quickly joined him and I cast one last glance behind me before following him too. The town was silent now, not bothering to test the patience of a skeleton in a fowl mood. "You called her blank correct?"

               "Yeah, according to some of the other girls she doesn't have a soul mate mark and is pretty much an outcast. I asked around about her a bit more after I first met her and she doesn't have any family, at least in town." I answered shoving my hands in my pockets. 

         "Is that so..... do you know anything else about her?" Gaster said without bothering to glance back towards me.

                 "She works multiple jobs 'round town all day everyday. The girls say her main job is at the laundromat and that's how she gets money to pay her rent but she also regularly helps the mail carrier and reorganizes shops. No one really pays that much attention or mind to her..... Her real name is apparently Liliana.... but why are you so interested in her?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

        "For the same reason you were. She's a blank. As far as I've heard the only one in town. Besides she had the audacity to trip you which peaked my interest further."

                 "Well I'm glad you found my tripping  _so_  amusing." I snapped rolling my eyes. 

       "I never said I found it amusing.....though truth be told it was rather funny." Gaster said with a chuckle. I clenched my teeth, I could almost hear his smirk in the way he talked. I groaned as Sans snickered glancing over at me. 

            "I'm quite surprised you let that girl just get away, I think the whole town could tell you're furious." Sans said.

                  "Heh, you know it's because I'm lazy... besides I know she'll be back around town so why not just let her come to me."

................................

Lady Katherine's P/V:

       "Where did I put that gosh darn thing." I huffed putting my hands on my hips and looking over the mess of papers all over the living room. I was put in charge of arranging Papyrus' and Sans' next soulmate ball and of course Sans had given me a whole mountain of papers containing his ideas and thought about what the ball should include. No wonder a new person was assigned to coordinate the ball each year, doing this once was enough to make you go insane..... I was beginning to wish I had kept Liliana here for backup, I know she would have accepted if I asked her but that poor girl didn't need anymore burdens. My ears perked up as I heard footsteps thumping towards the house. "Could that be her?...." I thought out loud. I jolted as my door was slammed open.

            "L-Lade Katherine!" Liliana shouted from the doorway. 

        "What's the matter dear? Is everything alright?" I asked hurrying over to her. Her breathing was unsteady and fast, she had likely run over from where ever she came from. Without an answer she collapsed to her knees, trying to take back control of her breathing. "Liliana?! Please answer me!" I said more urgently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

            "S-sorry for worrying you.... I'm afraid.... I made a rather stupid decision back in town...." She said catching her breath. I let out a sigh of relief putting my other hand on her shoulder.

        "Please tell me. What did you do?"

               ".....I tripped Lord Papyrus in front of the whole town...." Liliana answered looking away. "I-I know it was a poor choice but I-I just had enough of it all!" 

       "Why would you take your frustration out on him though!" I asked. I knew very well how little patience those skeletons could have.

              "...remember back when someone tripped me and bruised my nose? It... It was Lord Papyrus who did that. Today he was walking through town with Lord Gaster and Lord Sans and pointed me out before asking me to apologize. Of course he left out the part about him tripping me but said that I almost hit him with a bucket. To try and avoid making a bigger scene I simply apologized but then....." Liliana took a deep breath. "He called me blank and there was so much selfishness in the way he acted. So I put my foot out and tripped him before telling him the dirt suited him much better. Then I ran and ran and ran. He yelled at me to come back but I... I just ran."

         "Don't worry, it'll be alright." I said gently giving her a patient smile. 

                "But... I just... and he..."

        "Shh... dear please, let me handle this. Believe it or not me and Lord Gaster go way back. I'm certain I can convince them to leave you alone. Besides Gaster is not an irrational man, if he learns that his son was hostile towards you first he won't retaliate because of this." 

              "....oh.... ok... I.. thank you Lady Katherine." Liliana stumbled over her words a bit before giving me a small smile. 

       "Of course, now let us get you some tea, it seems you've been very busy today." I nodded helping her up a bit though she mainly had to do it on her own. Being short was both a blessing and a curse. "...I must say this does seem very unlike you...." I noted as we headed towards the kitchen. "You are always so kind and rather calm about these sorts of things."

              "I guess it was all just building up with no where to go so eventually I exploded...." Liliana huffed. "It's also probably in part because he acts like he can do anything he wants to and just get away with it, like his actions have no meaning or consequence."

       "...remember how you told me you had learned self defense?"

               "Yeah?"

      "Well how about we use that at a stress reliever."

              "What do you mean?" She questioned, sitting up on the counter and crossing her legs.

       "You said that all those negative emotions had been building in you for some time, correct?" I reasoned filling a kettle before putting it on the stove. "If along with doing some chores on the days you visit I could set up a sort of punching bag or training dummy. You could practice your fighting on it and let your frustrations out on it so you don't have to keep everything pent up."  Liliana looked at me silent for a second before seeming to contemplate the matter. 

               "...yeah. I think that'd really help." Liliana smiled. 

        "Great!" I grinned clapping my hands in front of me. "And Liliana.... I am here if you ever need to talk, about anything."

              "........I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe just a few different points of view....


	7. Party Planners

Liliana's PV:

           I ended up spending the night at Katherine's house. Well more like I fell asleep on her couch after about an hour or two of us working on planning for the ball. When I woke up light was peaking through the translucent curtains, softly hitting my skin and warming it up gently. I yawned, slowly sitting up and stretching my arms. Dust floated gently in the air, reflecting the light of the morning sun and giving a sense of calm and stillness. It was.... it was nice. Smiling to myself I folded up the slightly faded green blanket Lady Katherine had no doubt thrown on me once I dozed off. In the midst of all the planning papers I noticed a lone cup of tea with a folded paper beside it, a cursive L written quickly on it. 

          _'Good morning Liliana,_

                _I certainly hope you slept well after all the excitement you got yesterday! I want you to stay at my house for at least a couple of days to let the town calm down a bit and keep you out of trouble. I'm currently going to your house to grab some clothes and essentials as well as inform your employers of your absence. So basically don't freak out that your house key is missing. I made some tea to help you wake up and feel calm. Please do not feel like you need to clean or do anything while I am out, I can assure you once I get back I'll work you hard with planning!_

                                                       _Your Friend,_

                                                                      _Kat'_

            I chuckled a little as I read the note before sipping on my tea and sitting back down on the couch, the green blanket now folded on the armrest beside me. I looked out the window again, noticing the sun inching it's way towards noon. 

               "Guess I was asleep longer than I thought." I said to the empty house, lowering my gaze to the sweetened liquid. It was still slightly warm but had definitely cooled down so Katherine had been gone for a while. I hope I wasn't troubling her too much... but, what if I was? What if I was just burdening her? What if she kept asking if I was ready to see my soulmate so that she'd finally be rid of me? What if-

                I slammed the half empty porcelain cup on the coffee table. My hands shook slightly as I gripped the cup and clenched my jaw. Taking a deep breath I gently released the item and stood up, clenching my fists at my side. 

                "Thinking like that gets you no where in life." I told myself firmly. "You will not dwell on such thoughts. Put all that pent up energy to good use." With a nod I began to organize the scattered papers, reviewing the notes we had written or received. This was going to be one heck of a ball.

 

Lady Katherine's PV:

          I had headed out from the house rather early and began with meeting all of Liliana's employers. They all seemed pretty understanding considering at this point they had all either seen the event or heard about it through gossip. Poor girl. She had seemed so distressed when visiting my home last night, I only wish she got a good nights rest at the very least. I passed her house, not even bothering to go in yet considering I was not going to carry her clothes and personal items to my next stop; I would simply have to wait and come back to get them. Going into the dense forest I quickly found a familiar dirt trail. It was patted down very well keeping it level and useful for wagons or horses, with trees and forest lining it on both sides. I kept my thoughts on the task at hand while walking, my gaze focused ahead and eventually locking onto the mansion that stood at the end of the road. Breezing up the steps I gave a strong knock on the large doors. 

               "Coming!~ Oh! Hello Lady Katherine, what a pleasant surprise." Muffet smiled down at me as she opened the door, giving a bow as she stepped out of the way.

            "It is very nice to see you too Muffet." I smiled back as I stepped inside. A few servants were hurrying around here and there, some noticing me and either giving a quick wave or bowing. 

                 "Might I ask why you are here? If there anything I can do for you?" Muffet asked as she shut the door. 

          "I am here to talk to the skeletons."

                 "Is it about the matter from yesterday?" Muffet perked up, all five of her eyes looking to me with interest.

          "Ah, I see that is the main subject of gossip here too." I sarcastically remarked while heading up the grand staircase directly forward from the door before heading to the left. 

                 "Indeed. Papyrus was in quite a mood when they returned."

           "I can imagine... are they all in Gaster's study?"

                  "Yes, they were discussing matters about the ball and science and whatever else they talk about in there." Muffet said waving some of her hands for emphasis. 

             "Ok, thank you Muffet." I nodded.

                   "Anytime darling, to-da-loo~"  She grinned with her fangs before heading off. I smirked at her carefree and laid back attitude before turning to the right and continuing to my destination. Once there I knocked twice before entering, not even waiting for any sort of response. 

                "What is it?" Gaster asked annoyed, not even sparing a glance from the papers residing on his desk. Papyrus was sulking slumped down in his chair, arms crossed as he glared at the floor, the angry look being thrown towards me. I raised an eyebrow at him before he realized who it was; he sat up and the venomous look softened. Sans noticed his brothers sudden attitude change and just had to know who it was, whipping around in his seat to get a look.  

                 "Lady Katherine!" Sans smiled. He stood up, giving a slight bow to me. I chuckled giving a light curtsy in return.

                 "Katherine?" Gaster questioned just now looking up. He smiled ever so slightly. "What brings you here? It is not about the ball is it, after all you are not scheduled to give an update for a couple of days."

            "No no, nothing like that." I said waving it away. "I am here to talk about the girl from yesterday, Liliana." Papyrus froze for a second before sliding now in his chair again and muttering things to himself.

                "You do not have to worry yourself about her, we will make sure we find her and reprimand her to the proper degree." Gaster said casually before looking at the papers again.

            "Yeah, we've already been working on figuring out where she lives and-" Sans stopped as I raised my hand to silence him. 

                   "That will not be necessary. I came to ask you to let her off the hook this time."

         "What?! That.. that insignificant brat tripped me in front of the whole town!" Papyrus growled standing up.

                    "Yes, and you tripped her before, almost braking her nose and spilling out water she needed for work as well as insulted her in front of many people. I think that makes you both even." I glared at him.

              "How.... how do you know that?" Papyrus asked confused.

                      "I happen to be friends with the young lady."

             "W-WHAT?!" Sans yelled. "But Papyrus told us she was a blank! Not to mention the town doesn't like her, why would you hang out with her?!"

                    "You should learn not to be so judging Sans. Not everything you hear is the truth, some is just gossip or speculation." 

              "Are you implying she does have a soul mate mark?" Gaster asked now intrigued with our conversation.

                    "I am not at liberty to answer that, I promised her to keep whether she truly does or does not have a mark secret unless she gives me the ok to tell someone." I calmly replied. 

            "I see..." Gaster went quiet in thought for a moment. "May we meet her?"

                       "Psh, I don't want to see her again." Papryus rolled his eyes. 

             "I will talk to her about it... perhaps in a day or two come by and we can have a calm discussion together at my house." I nodded.

                 "Then it's settled, all three of us will go." Gaster nodded as well, confirming the arrangement. 

            "But dad!" Papyrus whined.

                    "I don't want to hear it, I've already made up my mind." Gaster stopped him from continuing. Papyrus growled and stomped out of the room muttering things. I sighed, this was the easy part now I just had to convince Liliana to go along with it....


	8. Playdate

Liliana's P/V:

        Wiping my forehead I looked triumphantly across the now sorted sea of papers. Katherine had been taking a long time getting some things from my place... perhaps I should go check on her. I headed towards the door, picking up my shoes and reaching for the doorknob. 

               "If I do that then I'm basically making it pointless for her helping me and just bring the trouble to her doorstep..." I reminded myself with a sigh letting my hand fall heavily to my side. Tossing the shoes back to the ground near the door I fast walked into the kitchen and scrubbed my hands clean, grabbing multiple random utensils and ingredients before starting on lunch. It might be a slightly late lunch considering I was just getting started at noon and Lady Katherine wasn't back yet but at least it was something.

.........................................

       "Liliana?" A voice whispered carefully as they crept through the door.

            "I'm awake and I'm in the kitchen just finishing up lunch Lady Katherine. I must say your timing is impeccable for you to have strolled in just as I'm wrapping up. That or you really didn't want to help cook." I teased as I slid two bowls out from the cabinet.

         "You didn't have to!" Lady Katherine protested and I could hear her drop a bag down by the door before continuing inside, her padded paw feet barely making any sound as she made her way through the house. "Liliana! You sorted all the papers! I told you not to worry about any of that stuff till I got back!" I rolled my eyes and chuckled at her motherly tone, almost like she was scolding me for cleaning things up.

       "I was bored and you know how my mind wonders when I'm not occupied so I decided to organize it that's all, I didn't work myself too hard."

         "Mhmm, you better not have or else you're going to be in time out for the rest of the day."

      "Pft, oh please." I shook my head at her pretend threat as I started to serve us each a bowl of soup. Placing her bowl down on the table I set mine across from it and got us both a spoon as well as some water since it was a thicker soup so a smoother drink would go well with it. Katherine hopped up into her seat and I sat down into mine. She seemed suddenly quiet as she began to eat. After a moment of surprise induced hesitation I started eating as well. 

          _'She's usually only this quiet when she's thinking or serious... but only moments ago she was joking and her usual self... I don't think I said anything to upset her. I wonder... she was out for an unusually long time and knowing my employers they wouldn't have held her up long. She hasn't been to my house much but knows enough to get through it without too much time and effort so what could have been holding her up for so long unless....'_

          "You went and talked to the skeletons didn't you." I quickly accused, earning her attention and snapping her out of her silent trance. 

            "Ever the inquisitive one." Kat chuckled, setting her spoon to the side. "Indeed I did and as you might be able to guess Papyrus is still in a fowl mood over the events that played out yesterday." I sighed and nodded putting my head in my left hand, slumping over slightly now at the thought of them. "I talked to them about leaving you alone and letting this slip by and I believe Lord Gaster is alright with that."

        "Really?" I bolted up, sitting at a 90 degree angle now. "I didn't think he would be so easy going about this."

            "Well he has been informed of Papyrus' actions as well.... and they are going to come over in a day or two to meet you formally." Lady Katherine said calmly before going back to eating. I on the other hand froze and looked at her in silence for a minute. 

        "They're what?!" I screeched, jumping up from my chair so fast that it fell over. "Oh no, no, no, no, no! This can only lead to disaster... nothing good ever comes from me and Lord Pompous meeting, in fact both times we have one of us was tripped and fell flat on our face and now you arranged for us to meet?! I can't go through with this, I won't! This isn't going to help anything and besides what if they ask about me being a blank and-"

           "Enough." Katherine firmly silenced me. "You  _will_  meet with them and I have a simple, but nice outfit in the bag for you to wear that day with your other clothes. It will be fine and if they try anything that could hurt you or reveal you're an artisan I'll take care of it, ok? Besides Spark will probably find a way to come with so you'll have double backup. Now stop worrying about this, that'll only make things worst." Slowly nodding I picked up the chair and pushed it back into it's rightful place at the table, I wasn't feeling very hungry anymore. "Why don't you go get a nice warm bath and put on some fresh clothes, that will help you to relax."

             "Ok..." I nodded once more before beginning to take my leave. "Wait but how will you get them to stop if anything happens? They are Lords and basically run the town..."

     "Oh I've know those boys for as long as I can remember, they know not to mess with this old lady." Katherine winked as she flexed her muscles. A snicker escaped my lips before my hand quickly shot up and muffled the rest of my laughter. As I left the room I went and grabbed the bag, letting myself giggle slightly before heading into the bathroom.

....................................................

       Yesterday Lady Katherine focused on the ball while I began thoroughly cleaning the house. While the place wasn't necessarily dirty Lady Katherine explained that Sans could be very picky when it came to how things were prepared and based on all the notes about the ball I had seen from him I believed every word of it. This morning I had finished the rest of the cleaning and Kat had neatly put away the ball notes. Lady Katherine was currently helping me put my hair up into a hair bun though she was adding some braids and curls here and there because she claimed it made it more formal. The dress she had picked out was a deep forest green, had a gathered swoop neck, long flowing sleeves that cut off at about my mid forearm, a black corset that helped show off the little bit of curves I had and added some flare to the uneven cut bottom of the dress. It was shorter which was a good choice on Katherine's part since I hate how constrictive and difficult to move in long dresses are.  

          "Now they should be here any minute..." Katherine started just as she finished my hair. "Do try to be well mannered towards them, especially Papyrus." I let out a long sigh but nodded, giving a small smile to Lady Katherine.

    "I shall try." I replied to her as I stood up and fixed my dress slightly. 

       "Good, now would you mind finishing up the tea? I would like to greet them at the door when they come just to get this started off smooth." I looked over the glasses one more time to make sure they were all good before adding some of the golden flower tea to each of them and a dash of creamer. It was something I did to my tea regularly now and made the flavor richer while helping to make the tea fuller and, well, creamier. Midway through carrying the tray of tea cups, sugar cubes, and the entire tea pot to the living room a resounding knock filled the house. Gently setting the tray down I wiped my hands off on my dress and took a deep breath. 

           "Good evening sirs, how lovely it is to see you again!" I heard Katherine greet them with enthusiasm.

                   "Good afternoon to you as well Lady Katherine." A voice replied, which I can only assume was Lord Gaster. "I hope-" His voice was cut off by a loud swish caused by the figure now floating in front of me. A grin crack out and spread across my face as I pat the creature receiving a hum of approval in return. 

           "It's good to see you again Spark." I whispered. "But try not to blow my cover alright." He rolled his eyes before nodding slightly. My head turned slightly as footsteps made their way towards us. Giving Spark a last pat on the snout I straightened myself out and focused towards the hallway they would be entering from. Spark lazily laid on the ground seemingly falling asleep within seconds. Lady Katherine was the first to walk in and gave me a wink paired with a giant grin. Next was Lord Gaster who I hadn't gotten a very good look at the other day but seeing him now was slightly intimidating considering he had the power to change my life. He radiated confidence with his perfect posture and strong steps. His height topped even Papyrus', though just slightly, making him at least a good foot or two above a small female like myself. Sans followed in after him with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised as he looked at me. He was definitely bigger boned then the other two and considerably shorter but he was still about half a foot taller than me. Papyrus was last with his hands shoved in his pockets and a hateful scowl directed towards me. The mood of the room instantly changed to one of hostility and coldness. 

       "It is a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Liliana." I greeted sweetly as I gave a bow.

                "At least Katherine was able to teach you some manners." Papyrus spat. I clenched my fists slightly on my dress to calm down. 

       "Papyrus!" Lady Katherine spoke harshly. "You will not speak to her in such a way!" I slowly stood back up, keeping my gaze towards the ground as I smoothed out my skirt slightly. "Now, why don't we all sit down and have some tea alright?" She suggested, well more of demanded. Katherine gave me a patient smile as she put a hand on my arm and we both sat down on the couch opposite of the one the skeletons had sat down on. Gaster was already drinking some of the tea and Sans had just picked up his cup... though it seemed Papyrus wasn't going to be having any tea, simply keeping his deadly glare on me. With a small sigh I picked up a cup of my own and took a sip.

        "Rumor has it you're a blank." Gaster calmly cut through the silence.

                _'Starting with this already...'_  I nodded, placing my cup back on the table lightly. "What of it?"

        "Is it true." Sans asked narrowing his eyes slightly and scooting to the edge of his seat.

                 "Why does it matter? Whether or not I have a mark is my own business." I replied folding my hands on my lap as I crossed my legs. Sans opened his mouth to object before shutting it again. "Besides if peoples view of me is affected by them considering me a blank that's their problem." 

        "Wouldn't it be easier to inform the town of whether it is true or not?" Gaster inquired setting his now empty porcelain cup on the table. 

                  "Well... yes. It would be. But, consider this, if I am truly a blank and confirmed that, people would simply treat me harsher wouldn't they? After all, blanks are viewed as outcasts and I already face some heat from the town because they just assume I am a blank." I explained.

   "This seems to be a problem you face regularly, yes?" I looked away from Gaster as he asked that question.

    "Yes, she does, but she insists that she can handle it on her own." Kat cut in for me. 

                 "Lady Katherine!" I objected, whipping my head around to face her. 

        "Oh, hush. You have been dealing with this for too long." She waved her hand at me as if shooing me away. "It ranges from verbal abuse to people messing with her home and physically assaulting her."

                "I-it really isn't as bad as she's making it sound!" I tried to reassure the skeletons, who all had their sockets locked on me now. 

        "Not that bad?! Hmp, remember that time you had to stay here because some hooligans had broken into your home and trashed the place? Or what about when you nearly gave me a heart attack because you had a black eye and several cuts along you arms and legs? Not to mention the other women in town always giving you trouble despite the fact you do about half the work in that village!" Lady Katherine shook her head slightly as she finished giving her examples. 

    "Why have you never reported this?" Gaster inquired tilting his head slightly as he rested it in his palm. 

                "I.... I didn't want to be a burden alright. After all many people could say I brought this upon myself for not saying whether or not I have a mark." I shrugged.

         "Still these actions are against the law and must be addressed." Sans piped up. "We might need to increase the number of guards in the city and keep track of those who are known to be or suspected of being blanks as time goes on to keep things like this from happening again."

              "Yes, that should be a good start." Gaster agreed with a nod. "If anyone in particular gives you trouble again please find a guard and report it immediately or have Lady Katherine tell us, alright Miss Liliana?" I blinked, staring at him with a very evident look of surprise on my face. Apparently he found this amusing because he began to chuckle. "You don't need to look so shocked, after all we look over this town and it's citizens, which includes you."

       "Besides..." Papyrus smirked slightly. "We need some way to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't go around tripping other people." My face turned pink and I puffed out my cheeks in embarrassment. 

                 "Oh, please, I only trip jerks and perverts." I muttered rolling my eyes.

         "What was that?" Papyrus growled, not looking amused in the slightest. 

                      "Nothing, my lord." I said with a hint of sarcasm, a smirk tugging at my lips as I took another sip of tea. Papyrus groaned and stood up, running a hand over his skull.  

       "Come on Spark, I need to get some fresh air." Papryus said motioning for the skull to follow.

                 "S **uR** E th **INg**   **Mas** TER..." Spark said with a yawn as he floated up and began to follow the tall skeleton out of the room. I, on the other hand, almost started choking on my tea.

       "Careful there sweetheart." Papyrus laughed while I coughed. Lady Katherine rubbed my back and Sans snickered after Papyrus left. Out of my peripheral vision I could see Katherine taking a sip of her tea and shooting me a quick, smug look.

                 "I think I need some air as well." I said setting my cup down and quickly standing, giving a bow to the two other lords. 

         "Very well, I'll handle things here but please try to be back in time to bid farewell to the Lords." Lady Kat instructed. With a small smile and a firm nod I left out the back door going in the opposite direction of Papyrus. My heart pounded against my rib cage and my hand pressed up against my chest as if to aid in keeping it from bursting right out. I should have known it was Papyrus' from the attitude the blaster showed, always cocky and annoying and yet the blaster had grown on me so, becoming what I would consider a friend. Did that mean the same thing could happen with Papyrus?... My grip tightened around the fabric of the top of my dress, the pounding of my heart continuing. I had finally found my soul mate, most people would be ecstatic but my mind was just filled with so many conflicting thoughts and emotions I wasn't sure what to do... Well, at least I know one thing for sure. This is going to be interesting. 


	9. Golden Paper

Liliana's P/V:

            It's been two days since our meeting with the skeletons. Katherine and I haven't talked about my soulmate mark and.... Papyrus since then though they've never left my mind since everything clicked into place. Of course now that I know about it the whole situation seems so obvious. Of course it would have been one of the skeletons who had the skeletal dragon head for a special attack and of course Spark would have been Papyrus' from his personality and of course this wasn't going to be easy. Sighing I rested my head in my hand, my legs pulled up beside me on the couch. Lady Katherine had gone out for some supplies and to inform the Lords of our final plans for the ball, which was quickly approaching; meaning I was left at her house alone.... well she had offered for me to accompany her but I doubt Papyrus would have been happy about that. Gravity pulled heavily on my eyelids, my head bobbing as I tried to fight off sleep. 

***BAM BAM BAM***

                  "Ahh!" My screamed echoed through the empty house followed by a sharp thud as I landed on the ground. "Owie..." I groaned, standing up and rubbing my forehead which took most the impact. No one usually came over to Katherine's house except me and the skeletons and the knock was loud enough that whoever it belonged to had the power to break down the door if need be. People hadn't seemed to come looking for me but perhaps they figured out where I was staying?... "Geez, way to motivate yourself Liliana..." I mumbled heading over to the door and cautiously looking outside. To my surprise a blaster hovered before the door with an envelope carefully positioned in his mouth. He nods the envelope towards me, beckoning me to take it. Sliding the envelope out I flip it over in my hands. It's white with blue and orange details covering it that seemed to shimmer in the light. My attention quickly turned back to the blaster who merely seemed to observe me. He was bigger then Spark and definitely had sharper points coming out of him, one of which almost sat like a horn on the end of his snout. "Um.. hello... who might you be and what is this?" I asked guesting to the letter.

                           "M **Y nAM** e is CHil **lE** r...." He responded, with a nod I can only assume was meant to mimic a bow. "As **foR T** hE l **eTT** Er, I **T'lL**   **be**  ex **PLaiNE** D w **H** E **n**  yOU RE **ad**  I **t.** " 

                   "Chiller..." I repeated. "Ok, so who's your master?"

                             "t **HAt WOUl** d b **e l** ORd G **As** teR. H **e WiS** H **ed**  F **O** R yO **u**   **tO**  H **aV** E t **hIs**  an **D nOW**  I W **Il** L b **E**  o **n M** y  **wAY.** " Chiller explained before turning and beginning to leave. 

                  "Oh, um, thank you Chiller." I quickly added. The blaster stopped and chuckled.

                          "Y **oU aRe WELc** oMe, **an** D As F **Or**  the F **acT**  th **A** t  **YoU**  cA **n Un** dER **STa** nD u **s**... i **t'S**  R **athE** R in **TE** re **STIN** g. I' **ll**  HA **ve**  To  **aSK**  yO **u**  A **bOU** t i **t o** nE **DaY**."

\-----------------------------------------

Lady Katherine's P/V:

               2 hours. It took 2 hours to explain the plans for the ball because Sans was constantly interrupting me. It only should have taken a half-hour at most since everything was already planned out but that skeleton couldn't manage to shut up for more than five minutes while his brother tried not to die laughing. 

                    "Alright, that should, finally, be everything." I huffed while straightening out the papers and putting them into my bag. 

                              "Great, that was exhausting..." Papyrus yawned out as he stretched out his arms and legs from his chair.

                  "Oh please all you did was sit there and make puns!" Sans yelled with a roll of his eyes. 

                             "Thank you for your help Lady Katherine, that will be all as I am sure you have many items to attend to. Let me walk you out." Gaster quickly escorted us out as the brothers began quarreling again. "It is a shame Liliana was not able to join us today."

                     "Yes.... I did invite her to come along but she decided against it." Gaster hummed in response with a nod, the slightest hint of a smirk on his face as Chiller came breezing down the hall towards him. 

                                "I d **eLIve** re **D**  tH **e LE** TTe **R**." 

                     "That will be all Chiller." Gaster acknowledged him with a pat on the snout. 

               "What letter did he deliver might I ask?" I inquired. 

                       "One to Miss Liliana."

                "About what?" I asked now stopping and turning completely to the skeleton. 

                             "The ball." 

\---------------------------------------------------

Liliana's P/V:

_~You are cordially invited to the ball on September 1st in honor of Lord Papyrus and Lord Sans. The Lords will be continuing their search for their soul mates and require all those receiving an invitation to attend. Be sure to wear your finest attire. Festivities will begin at 8 pm and the ball shall last as long as the Lords wish._

 

_P.S. Lady Katherine has told me of how much assistance you have given her over the years, even in regards to preparation to the ball. View this invitation as a thank you for helping an old friend of mine. This will also serve as an opportunity to show the town that you, and other perspective blanks have our protection and respect._

_W.D. Gaster~_

           The golden invitation glistened in the sunlight as I read over it. There was no way that I wanted to attend this ball. Something bad was bound to happen and I would just make a fool of myself. Still it seemed I had no chance in the matter from how the invite and Gaster's message had been worded. First thing on my list would be shopping for an appropriate dress, preferably that I wouldn't die in and shoes with the same perimeters. I groaned, flopping onto my side, bouncing ever so slightly on the well kept couch. Tossing the invitation onto the table I turned onto my stomach, crossing my arms under my chin. I would worry about all that stuff later, for now I'd wait for Lady Katherine's return. 


	10. Shopping

Liliana's P/V:  

        "So the letter he had delivered is an invitation?" Lade Katherine clarified while I nodded. She held the luminous letter in her paws, her eyes never breaking contact with it. 

                   "I suppose I'll have to find a dress for it... it is the 29th already so the balls going to be this Saturday." 

           "I suppose so... well we haven't a moment to lose. There are bound to be tons of maidens searching for a dress once they get their invitation so we should go ahead of the rush. Besides we are going to get you the most beautiful gown, one like no other." Lady Katherine decided, motivation lacing her voice as she stood. 

                     "That really isn't necessary, any formal gown will do, besides I don't have the money for such a gown."

              "Finances won't be a problem, after all you have a rich old lady funding your outfit. Now I don't want to hear a word of protest, let's be on our way." And with that we stepped outside the safety of Lady Katherine's cottage and went into the town. 

........................................

        As Katherine and I walked through the village some people gave us, or me, weird looks but continued on their way. The young girls and women pointed to me and gossiped but that was nothing new. What I did notice as new was the increased number of guards around the city. While passing by they would give a nod, tip of the hat, or simple smile. It made things seem more safe strangely enough.

                "Sans made sure to have the guards put up as soon as possible and for them all to know your face to help keep a careful eye on you." Kat explained while casting a glance back towards me.

           "They really did this for me?" 

                    "Yes... well for you and any other blanks found to live in the city. They did say they would do this after all."

            "People can say a lot of things, that doesn't mean they will always hold true to their word."

                      "I guess that is true, but the skeletons are not like that." Katherine said with a chuckle before entering the main dress shop. It was one of the biggest stories in the village, though wasn't flooded with people yet. There were a few women and men here and there but it was surprisingly calm and there were enough workers to help everyone.

               "Greetings! My name is Sophia, how may I help you ladies on this fine day." One of the human workers can over to us with a curtsy. She had short, jet black hair that almost looked a bit purple with the way the light shined on it and it had soft waves that ended right above her shoulder. She wore a hunter green uniform dress that was mid length with golden details and a perfectly white apron over top. Her auburn eyes focused on us, eagerly awaiting for a response so she could help. 

                        "Good afternoon, I am Katherine and this is my friend Liliana. She needs a gown for the soon approaching ball of the Lords." 

                 "Of course! Follow me and we'll see what we can find!" She smiled and began leading us further into the store. "How about something in this style, I know ball gowns such as these have been growing in popularity!" Sophia guested to a large deep pink and red dress, adorned with a plethora of beading and gems, multiple layers of fabric creating.... interesting ruffles and it most definitely had a metal hoop skirt underneath. It weighed a minimum of twenty pounds with all that beading and the hoop but would definitely get a girl attention. I inwardly cringed at the sheer showiness and style of the dress which Katherine quickly picked up on. 

                         "It is rather lovely but I think we would like something a bit lighter, more of a flowing style than a hoop skirt." She graciously explained for me, with a lot more tact than I would have had. 

                 "Ah, I see, how about something more like these dresses over here?" 

                             "Perfect, we're on the right track now. For colors maybe darker, calmer colors, or something with a bit of contrast." Lady Katherine suggested and I nodded in agreement. 

               "Okie dokie, I'll get some dresses and bring them back to you in changing room three, just go ahead on back there and I'll meet you!" Sophia said excitedly. After a couple minutes I got to try on the first dress, with hues of soft blues and lavenders mixed together. The sleeves were gathered right above the elbow creating a poof in them and it had a dark purple corset that tied tightly around my stomach and right under my.. *ahem* chest.

                        "No way." I huffed while looking in the mirror.

                 "Ok, what do you and don't you like about it so we can work off of that." Katherine asked. 

                         "The gathering in the sleeves is extremely annoying and uncomfortable and I don't like the way the corset fits, I just don't think it's right for my body type. I do like the off shoulder sleeves and the flowing of the fabric, especially the extra piece that hangs from my hips."

                 "Onto the next one?" 

                           "Yep." The second dress had multiple layers of patterned or textured fabrics with almost transparent off shoulder sleeves making it appear sleeveless. It was much more a ball gown style dress and had this weird bottom layer that spread out like a train in each direction. Still it had a sense of elegance and unity to it.

      "What do you think about this one? I think it looks really lovely on you and fits your curves in all the right ways!" Kat smiled.

                               "It is rather beautiful... but I don't think it's the one. I can see myself tripping on the bottom layer and getting in caught on everything... I do like the choker aspect about it though and the contrast with the darker and lighter colors but I think I like the small amounts of dark purple on this dress more than the majority of it with the lighter tones...sorry Lady Katherine, I will wear this one though if you like it since you are paying for it..."

                     "Nonsense, this is your dress and I want you to feel confident in it at the ball!" Katherine said waving my idea away. "You'll need to be confident to impress you soul mate on Friday~"

                                    "Katherine!" I whipped around my face red. 

                        "Next dress missy." I sighed but nodded, getting into the next dress like Katherine demanded. This one was amazing with a gold collar and jewelry and a semi-transparent bottom level. The top skirt layer was magenta, purples, and pinks, flowing in an uneven cut and a dark purple base on the torso. 

             "I really like this one, but it might be slightly showy for me with all this gold and jewelry.... it would definitely weigh down on my shoulders after a while..." 

                        "Yes, I don't think it quite fits you." Katherine agreed. 

                "There was one she brought that caught my eye..." I admitted, looking back over at the dresses still hanging to be tried on.

                        "What are you waiting for then, let's see it!" I chuckled a bit at Kat's enthusiasm as I slipped into the fourth dress. I blinked as I looked into the mirror, shifting slightly to see all angles in it. Was this really me?.... It made me look so elegant and beautiful.... 

              "This is the one...." I breathed out, still turning around in my dress.

                           "Oh Liliana you're gorgeous! You undoubtedly make this dress!" Katherine clapped. "Now get changed back into your normal clothes so that I can buy it." I smiled, admiring the dress as it flowed one more time before putting back on my casual clothes. 

.............................

          I waved good bye to Lady Katherine as she headed back home with the dress. I had asked to stay in town a bit longer since it had been quite a while since I had been back but Katherine was tired and wanted to go home. 

              It felt amazing to have the sun on me again, not blocked from the canopy of trees that surrounded Lady Katherine's house. Interlocking my hands together I stretched them out high over my head with a relaxed sigh. Everything seemed to actually be ok, maybe all my worrying was for nothing, after all the skeletons did seem to be keeping their word and no one had bothered me since I came back. A smile began to spread across my face but instantly stopped as a shiver ran down my spine. Something suddenly seemed... off. Looking around I couldn't see any of the guards near by. My rising paranoia caused my feet to move faster, listening for any other sounds.

_There was another set of foot steps._

             I hastily glanced around for any sort of way out. The sun was sinking and many stores had locked their doors by now, the only paths leading into dark alleys, unless I could make it to the very end of the street. The footsteps seemed to know that, now speeding up and exceeding my pace. Throwing caution and my slight curiosity to the wind my entire focus was now on reaching the end of the street. The stranger muttered a curse before charging after me. Now, I don't mean to brag but I'm pretty fit. Years of doing manual labor and having to fend for myself had contributed to that but this guy was determined. His hand clasped onto my mid-right forearm and he sharply yanked back. With a glare I turned my head just enough to see his face in my peripheral vision before he held a knife to my throat. The cold metal caused me to stop moving but I showed no fear. I had been against worst, besides this is better than a gun. 

                     "You were much easier to catch than I expected." The man chuckled roughly. "Ya know some people will pay to get their hands on a blank... they think it's a chance for love if they lost their soul mate or don't have one themselves... I wonder how much I could sell you for..." Taking a deep breath I blocked the man's voice from my mind, shuffling a hair closer to the figure so the knife wasn't laying tense across my throat.

                "Sorry, but this girl's not for sale." I growled using all my might to jab him in the stomach with my elbow. He clutched his stomach with the arm used to hold me, trying to get the knife closer to me to stop me as he stumbled onto one knee. I side-stepped out of the way of the weapon before swinging around and kicking him in the face. Turning towards my escape route again I had a blurred idea of what the stranger looked liked, no time to try and memorize his facial features now. With a cry I fell to the ground, pain echoing through lower back, my hands slightly burning as they scrapped against the concrete. Looking back the man was on his feet again, magic flowing off of his fingers. Monster. He had used magic. Stumbling to my feet the chase began again, my speed being greatly impacted by the pain that shoot through my spine with every slightly unsteady step. My only advantage was the space between us putting me only a few feet from the next street but he had magic, magic that could go at least a bit of distance. The magic landed right by my feet, almost causing me to trip but I managed to stay on my feet, rounding the corner into the slightly brighter street. 

           Guards. There were two guards casually talking to each other as almost no citizens were found on the street.

                 "G-guards!" I shouted, catching both of their attention though I didn't stop running until I reached them.

               "Are you alright ma'am? What's wrong?" The first one asked, putting a hand on my shoulder as I panted. 

                    "T-there's a man on the street over there.... he tried to kidnap me...." I explained hastily, pointing over as the man rounded the corner, our eyes locking.

              "You there, stop!" The second shouted, heading after the figure as he immediately turned around and ran for it.

                     "This isn't over blank!" He yelled as the guard chased after him. 

                     "Did he hurt you?" The first guard asked, turning back to me.

                 "I'll be ok..." I sighed.

                       "..alright, but I should at least escort you home."

                  "I.... very well." 

                        "Lead the way." The guard nodded.

\-----------

These are the first three dresses in order in case you were wondering (all were found on deviantart, I did not make any of these), as for the dress Liliana ended up picking.... well we'll see it soon enough ;D

[Lavender dress](https://em.wattpad.com/885e5de7376c1fbaa1770b265ee3492c9a5456a3/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f56356f46415055525f386e536c673d3d2d3435303437383730322e313464393335653365643663343630333335363534313133323838312e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280)

[Layered dress](https://em.wattpad.com/1978d8de5e3a8868c48ec0b2e4bbfbba3b521ed7/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f65545865444d654a507354494b513d3d2d3435303437383730322e313464393336363163656161356636333536393735333333313930342e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280)

[Pink and Gold dress](https://em.wattpad.com/761a25f801f42ad9a7604da91c5375d343038c80/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f7a4e42616a556e526147675f43513d3d2d3435303437383730322e313464393336396238326630666437373535333032363336363434322e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280)


	11. Magic Darts and Worried Guards

Liliana's P/V:

     The pain was more a dull ache or sting by the time we got to Lady Katherine's house, my legs wanting to give out right beneath me. 

         "Thank you for walking me back, I should be fine now." I said giving the guard a polite smile. 

               "Of course, but you should have someone look at the wound on your back." He nodded.

          "How did you?...." I asked, glancing back over my shoulder. Just like before all the fabric was in tack, no signs of injury... maybe I was walking funny or had a pained expression at some point...

                "There's still a trace of magical energy on it, I could feel it when you first came up to us. I didn't think I needed to bring it up since you were determined not to admit you were hurt, besides we can't track him based off it or anything so it just needs to be healed."

           "Alright... thank you..." I let out a sigh, glad to know more but upset they couldn't use it to get that monster. My tired hand wrapped around the door knob and I swung it open, stepping inside without a knock. 

               "Have a fair evening Lady Liliana." The guard saluted to me before hurrying off. 

         "I...um... o-ok...." I blinked, my voice slightly shaken by the sudden gesture. Kicking off my shoes I dragged myself into the living room where Lady Katherine was reading.

              "Who was the man with you?" She questioned without breaking contact with the book.

       "What?"

              "The man who addressed you as Lady Liliana just now." Katherine added.

        "oh... he's a guard from the city... wanted to make sure I got home ok or something." I explained.

              "A guard? Did something happen?" She now asked, setting the book to the side.

      "Well.... I was almost kidnapped..."

                "WHAT?! Are you alright? How did that happen? Did they catch him?" She suddenly jumped up, looking at me from every angle as she rambled.

       "He found me on a darker street, he got away, and I should be find but I'll need your help with the wound." I answered. Katherine firmly nodded, pointing to the couch for me to sit down. 

            "Where did I put that darn thing...." Kat muttered as she ran off. "Got it!" Pulling off my shirt I flopped onto the couch with my back facing up. The air felt so nice against the wound, making it feel cool instead of a sickly warm. I could hear Katherine's padded feet come to a stop as she entered the room, I felt her eyes lock onto my wound as I shifted my head slightly to look at her. "A monster did that correct." She inquired, now continuing over with a beat-up white box. I had seen it many times before, it was her first aid kit and had been used way too many times on me. 

           "Yeah... I didn't get a good look at him but I definitely saw him use magic.... do you know what he did to me, like what kind of magic he used?" Katherine paused thoughtfully as she started at the purple and black wound. The darkest part was on my lower back, radiating out and mainly up from there, becoming lighter the further from the center it got yet still had stark contrast against the light tan of my skin. "Woah, that's a bit freaky looking." I muttered.

        "Liliana... this might hurt slightly but I need you to stay still and tell me what you feel, ok?"

            "Ok." I replied without hesitation. After all this time Katherine deserved and has my trust.  Katherine lightly placed one of her paws on you back, right where the center of the wound is. Biting my tongue I tried not to scream as the pain radiated through my vertebrae again. 

                "Liliana?"

            "I-it feels like electricity is r-running through my spine." I answered trying to steady myself. Kat pulled her hand away and I let out a deep breath I had been holding, the following breaths shallow. 

             "Their magic isn't electricity magic... It seems more like a poison barb. That would explain how it left no mark on your clothes, it only reacts in contact to living things." 

          "P-poison?!" I asked sitting up, increasingly worried. Lady Katherine simply pushed me back down onto the couch.

                "Stay still. This type was not meant to kill you, simply to weaken and hurt you. I'm going to use healing magic to remove the poison in it so it can heal better, but it will still be bruised for at least a few days." 

           "Oh.. that's not too bad." I let out a relieved sigh. "I will have a bit of a bruise at the ball but that's no big deal, I'm probably just going to be standing on my own all night anyway."

               "Come on, you are young, you should be having some fun." Katherine whined. "Dance the night away, take painkillers if you need to, just have fun!"

         "Last time I was having fun and enjoying myself it resulted in a poison dart being shot into my back.... how does magic become a dart anyway?"

                  "You've seen my magic attacks before." Katherine sighed, a soft green magic wisping over her fingers before being set onto my back. "Basically the magic materialized enough to be shot and strike the target, but since it is simply magic it fades away just leaving the injury and not the dart." I nodded at her explanation. "But I think that's enough talk of that for tonight, I'm going to dress your wound after this and then it's off to bed with you."

          "Fine... but I'm getting something to eat quickly." I added.

                "Very well." Kat laughed. 

Gaster's P/V:

              Straightening out the files and papers on the desk I stood up, stretching my aching back. I had slowly formed a hunch while looking over files for the town which was now coming back to haunt me. Grabbing the book on the edge of the desk I opened back to my last page and sauntered out into the hallway, taking mental notes on the information. I had read through this book many times but our recent talks with Liliana had gotten my curiosity peaking again.  _The Types and Formation of Soul Mate Marks-How to Determine a Mark_. The title was rather long in my opinion but at least it was precise. 

               "L-lord Gaster!" A voice yelled from down the hall making me stop. Letting out a irritated groan I lowered the book slightly, meeting gaze with the flustered guard.  

                   "What is it?" I snapped, not in the mood to have my time wasted. 

              "It is about the blank, sir." He answered, straightening his posture.

                   "What about her?" I asked, my annoyance subsiding slightly. 

            "She was attacked today. A monster tried to kidnap her and successfully hit her with magic."

                  "Is she alright?"

             "Yes sir, Guard Alois escorted her back to Lady Katherine's cottage."

                 "Was the monster in question apprehended." I asked raising an eyebrow. The guard's face and disposition instantly gave the answer away. He shrank back slightly, posture not as straight and respectful as before, a slightly bit of sweat running down his forehead. I groaned, rubbing the bridge of my nose, shutting the book forcefully causing the guard to jump. "Do we at least have a good description of the would be kidnapper?"

             "N-no sir." 

                 "Well then get me one." I glared down at the guard who quickly nodded and rushed off. Clenching my fist tighter around the book, I continued forward again.


	12. Ball Preparation

Gaster's P/V:

     "Sir, the ball room has just finished being set up and only a bit of the East wing is left to be cleaned, with maids working on it as we speak."

             "Very good." I nodded, dismissing the attendant. With a quick bow he was on his way to continue overseeing preparations for the ball. He had handled multiple of these events for us so I was not worried about his capabilities, though something was definitely troubling me.... What was it though? With a groan of annoyance I shook it off and headed towards the kitchen. Muffet was of course put in charge of the food, with the rest of the chefs at her disposal, but with such a big event she was undoubtedly going to need more help so we had called in Grillby to be Co-head Chef. Waving the door open with magic I looked into the madhouse, chefs rushing from one end to the other, calling out for ingredients, heat knocking into me from the vast amount of ovens and stoves being used.... as well as the fire monster who was simply cooking things with magic. 

     "What can I do for you sir?" Muffet asked, rolling over to me. She wore roller skates, allowing her to breeze through the kitchen; it was something Grillby had convinced her to try a few years ago and the two had been rolling through the kitchen ever since. 

            "Simply checking in on how things are going." 

    "Ah, don't trust us chefs? Come on, we've done events like this before, don't you worry about us, just make sure your boys look presentable for tonight. I promise, the food will be completely taken care of." Muffet assured, as she almost began pushing me back towards the door. "You have to get ready too, we don't want anything tarnishing your reputation of good looks do we?"

             "Of course not, whatever would I do." I chuckled with a roll of my eyes.

     "I see where Papyrus gets his sarcasm from." Muffet muttered. "Really, we've got it covered, just relax, and get out of my kitchen. It's hard to work in here when everyone is worried about bumping into you and stuff."

             "Alright, but I expect everything to be finished before guests arrive." I consented, stepping out the door and glancing back at the spider monster. 

     "As if you have to tell us, that's how you want everything for each event we host."

             "Can't tarnish my reputation, can we?" I smirked.

       "Heh, suppose not, see you around Gaster, now go make sure your boys are ready." Muffet said with a shake of her head before brushing the doors closed, her skates propelling her perfectly across the symmetrical tile floor. Turning on my heals I headed down the almost empty hallways towards my sons' rooms. I was not worried about Sans, he would already be fully dressed by now and continually checking that his appearance was positively perfect until the ball. Papyrus on the other hand would be happy wearing anything and hiding in his room for the duration of the ball. While he did at times enjoy all the attention he receives from others, especially young maidens, at a point it annoys him to no end, so I would have to keep a close eye on him tonight to make sure he didn't "disappear" mid-way through. Starting at Sans' door since this encounter would, surprisingly, take less time, I gave a sharp and quick 3 tap-knock before entering. As expected Sans was adjusting his outfit slightly in front of the mirror before noticing me.

                "Good evening father." Sans smiled, turning towards me. His outfit consisted of blacks, whites, and shimmering blues. The cuffs on the end of his long jacket when to about his mid-forearm with dark blue fur lining the shoulder cuffs, and collar decorated with the shifting blue and white details folded over and laid onto the shoulder pads, a small chain helping to the keep the jacket from moving around to much. Folds and mirrored blue and white designs when from the boots, jacket end, cuffs, collar, and shirt. Small blue crystals were scattered through the entire outfit, simmering and almost shifting in the light. 

     "Good evening Sans." I smiled. "You look very nice, all prepared for the ball I presume." 

           "Yes sir." Sans nodded, I could tell he was about to start on a rant about the ball so I quickly intervened. 

        "Alright, I shall leave you here then and I will see you at the ball. I have to go make sure your brother will be ready on time and then prepare myself as well." 

            "That lazy bones.... ok, I'll see you then father." With a small sigh of relief I swiftly headed towards the taller son's room, knocking twice before heading in to see Papyrus laying face down on his bed, half dressed already. I blinked in confusion, looking towards Spark who simply grunted before going back to sleep.

     "...I see you started to get ready... it seems I might not have to yell at you as much this time." I broke the silence calmly while folding my arms behind my back and entering the room. 

             "nkmngjig...."

     "I can't understand you when you're talking into a pillow Papyrus." I wiped some of the small wrinkled out of his red-orange vest, still sitting on the mannequin. 

             Papyrus huffed as his shifted his skull so it wasn't shoved into the feather filled rectangle of fabric. "I figured that it wasn't of much use to resist since you and/or Sans were going to yell at me to go anyway, but I don't want to be bothered by a bunch of squealing girl that are full of themselves all night. Besides Spark still won't give me any info on my soul-mate so she might not even be here tonight so there isn't much point in going."

       "I P **Romi** SE **d He** R i wo **uL** Dn' **T**  T **el** L." Spark growled with a yawn. 

      "You're going whether or not she's there, like always... though I did make it so the ball ends when you and Sans agree.... so I would not be completely opposed to you leaving slightly early tonight...." 

                  "Really?" Papyrus bolted up.

      "Yes.... though only if you are there on time." I agreed.

                 "Yes, you're the best dad." Papyrus grinned, bolting to his feet and putting on the shoulder pads plus collar. Tucking in the handkerchief and slapping on the gold surrounded gem, he wrapped the belt around his waist before clicking the center together. Yanking the tail coat vest off the mannequin, and wrapping it around his torso before connecting all the buttons and thread. Finishing the outfit he slipped on his black boots and put on the last few pieces, red and gold metal  cuffs on his wrists and ankles. "OK. I'm ready, and I'll be at the ball room on time."

     "Good, I will see you there when I am ready." I chuckled at his rare enthusiasm. Teleporting to my room I looked over my perfectly tailored outfit, with hints of white armor mixed into the purple fabric, deep purple as well as white, with a slightly lavender, adding details. Putting on the outfit layer by layer I finished with the cape and silver head piece. All details were in place, everything was cleaned, and the food was being prepared. All three of us were dressed and ready. Now all that was left was to get through the actual ball. 

____________________________

Liliana's P/V:

     I was going to be leaving for the ball in just a few minutes, making my nerves go crazy. With a shaky breath I smoothed out my dress again, looking in the mirror. The top was a pointed sweetheart neck with black details leading into a black choker and side sleeves along with fabric swirls. The dress itself faded from a dark purple to a sheer tangerine orange that sparkled in the light. The sides had sheer black fabric the flowed over the transitioning colors. Gold and pink threads decorated the dress and arm warmers that matched the dark purple fabric before changing to a darker more black purple completely embroidered with lavender threads in almost spider web designs. Luckily the back came up and met the choker so both my mark and bruise were covered. My shoes were simple dark purple shoes with a slight heel and my hair had been put up into a twisted hair bun, with a few strands curled and framing my face. For makeup Lady Katherine had kept it very simple, with mascara, thin eye liner around my top lid and waterline, a hint of shimmering orange and pink eye shadow, and a hardly tinted lip gloss that shimmered in the light. The twisting black and purple dangling earrings were surprisingly light which was a complete relief. 

      "Ready to go knock their socks off?" Lady Katherine asked with a smirk.

   "As ready as I'll ever be...." I nodded, following her out the door and stepping into the simple carriage she had gotten for the night. "Why can't you attend with me..." I asked with a sigh for about the hundredth time.

         "We've been over this countless times Liliana, I was not the one invited and while I don't think the Lords would have an quarrel with me attending, this is  _your_  night Liliana." Kat explained once again.

    "Yeah... I know... have fun, be young, all that stuff." I added, looking out of the window and folding my hands on my lap. 

           "I have faith in you Liliana." Katherine continued, leaning forward and putting her hands over mine. "Spend time with Papyrus, get to know each other... you don't have to admit your his soul mate tonight or even that you have a mark, just have fun, and let your worries go.... I wish to see you come home with a smile, a real smile, from having a good time.... it is something I have not seen pass your beautiful face is quite some time." She said sadly, putting one paw on my cheek. 

    ".....alright." I nodded, giving a small smile in return, my nerves easing with her genuine words.

            "We're here!" The stage couch called out as we entered into the skeleton Lords' courtyard. Carriages were lining all around the cliche round-about centered with an elaborate fountain. Maidens were stepping out of gold, silver, bronze, and gem detailed carriages in dresses that fully engulfed them and the few feet surrounding them as the gracefully floated up the stairs towards the ball. Some had ornate hairdos with things from clips to full crowns further decorating their ego filled heads. Once our carriage was finally allowed up the stage couch hopped down and opened the door for me, offering a hand as I stepped out. 

    "Thank you." I told him with a slight curtsy and he simply nodded with a smile. I'm glad Lady Katherine hired such a nice stage coach, it helped me feel slightly better. "I guess I better be on my way." I said turning back to Katherine who stood in the carriage. 

             "Yes, remember what I said."

     "I will...." I smiled, pausing for a second before hugging her. "Thank you... mom." I said. Katherine tensed for a minute, surprised by the sudden name before laughing and hugging my back tightly in return. 

            "It's about time you called me something other than Lady Katherine." She replied, her voice wavering slightly. After a minute I pulled away as the stage couch hopped back onto the front of the carriage, grabbing hold of the reigns connecting to the equipment strapped onto the two brown horses. Kat was misty eyed but stood tall as I smiled wide turning to the stairs with a new confidence at finally getting that off my chest. Starting out slowly up the steps I quickly accelerated my pace, leaping up the stairs towards the entrance, my light and flowy dress giving me an advantage against all the other girls in their hoop skirts and heavy fabrics. "Ata girl! Show'em who's boss!" Katherine called out making me laugh as I hurried up to the door. Reaching the top step I took long breaths, trying to regain composer as I glanced back down towards the carriages as they continued to let new people on, Lady Katherine leaning out the window of the carriage and waving as she left. I covered my mouth to avoid completely laughing at all her excitement before give a big wave to her and facing the opened double doors again, and heading inside.

\-----------

Outfit hyperlink list!:

[Sans' Outfit](https://em.wattpad.com/09a05601642cd8598ce895176cc526937d48d97f/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f3366305953326f6e51496d7038413d3d2d3437303033313339362e313465343864343563636162666562393136313533363030353631342e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280)

[Papyrus' Outfit](https://em.wattpad.com/d7ab978935221c09c6b725095e5d10c7e343f982/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f54554a7750716a4b7549375462413d3d2d3437303033313339362e313465343865383964313363386264393136363036373632383539372e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280)

[Gaster's Outfit ](https://em.wattpad.com/8031d10a875ca759bcea3bf9833b56a84e01609e/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f57754e5449445150716766466d773d3d2d3437303033313339362e313465343865656439656535393639383337363730363334343037352e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280)

[Liliana's Outfit](https://em.wattpad.com/57cbd67225f7c9b54f3b521cc4cff8c198dc7609/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f765a6559686159334445586156673d3d2d3437303033313339362e313465343866626165303563363766393138373638323331353739352e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know, I skipped like 2 days just so that we could get to the ball but no use in just writing Liliana sitting around and the Lord's preparing, I don't want to completely bore you guys :P


	13. Swept off my Feet

Liliana's P/V:

     Girls chatted among themselves in hushed whispers and eager giggles as they hurried down the main hall towards the ball room, paying no head to the gorgeous surroundings. My pace however slowed down after passing through the giant, opened, doubled-doorway. The ground was lined with tiles, typical for a mansion such as this, though the clear glaze on top of the white tiles was almost holographic, making each tile shift and sparkle into an ever changing rainbow as you walked. White ionic marble pillars, the tops curving over into spirals with four different points, were evenly spaced, about every 15 steps of the long hallway. Splitting paths occupying some of the areas in between the carefully carved pieces. Tapestries, with detailed scenes embroidered into them were hung up on long, sturdy, yet beautiful in their own right, metal rods and paintings filled spaces where these weren't, showing off the owners of the house and some views of the town before being surrounded by elaborate frames. Looking at the ceiling I couldn't find a single light, it was more like thousands of small twinkling stars or fireflies were brightly lighting up, illuminating the entire place. 

             "Wow...." I breathed out. To be honest, it was all a little over-whelming. I was used to the simplest things, whatever I could get my hands on since not everyone was happy to have me around and yet now.... now I'm in one of the most stunning places I've ever seen with the knowledge that the one I'm destined to lives here everyday. My eyes continued to wonder around the hallway, completely ignoring my surroundings and the fact every other guest had already hurried into the ballroom. 

     "Are you lost miss?" A melodic voice startled me. Holding in a yelp I quickly turned around to face a flame monster who was bending down close to my face. 

             "Oh, no no I was just a bit captivated by the architecture and decorating... I just continue down this hall to get to the ball right?" I answered quickly, pointing where I presumed I needed to go.

     "Yes ma'am, that will lead you right to the festivities!" He nodded, standing up straight with a giant white smile. How a ball of flames can smile eludes me but it seemed to be genuine none the less.

                 "Ok, thank you Mr...?" 

     "How rude of me, my name is Grillbys, I am working in the kitchen for tonight's ball." He explained, extending out his hand.

                  "I see, my name is Liliana." I introduced politely, taking his hand. Unsurprisingly it was warm, what was surprising was how it didn't hurt in the slightest.

     "Perhaps I will see you around tonight Miss Liliana, it would be a pleasure to run into you again." He said turning around to leave. "Oh, and you should visit my restaurant some time, I'm sure you'll be able to find it, just ask around for the address."

                    "Ok... I'll be sure to visit then." I nodded though he was already walking away. With a deep breath I focused at the task at hand, surviving the ball, and continued forward to the ball room. If I had thought the hallway was impressive the ball room was absolutely magnificent. My anxiety and worry melted into awe and wonder, the unnoticed tenseness in my shoulders and clenched fists relaxing and my heart slowing down to it's normal speed. Though people were talking and laughing all around my ears only focused on the slow melody that radiated from the small orchestra on the other end of the room, the music being one of Lady Katherine's personal suggestions. Grand chandeliers that seemed to be made of crystal and the sparkling summer sun shone in an even row through the center of the ceiling, with smaller less detailed chandeliers on the left and right sides of the room, alternating spots with the larger weighty chandeliers. The light softened as it reached the people though, casting a even and calming glow throughout the room; dresses sparkling in this light, including mine. The tiles in here were different, with a gloss that made them shine but not very reflective, showing off the patterns and twists the carefully cut tiles made throughout the floor. Taking a deep breath filled my nose with all sorts of delicious scents, from chocolate paired with freshly bakes croissants to meats still slightly sizzling from their prestigious platters, trays, and tables with glimmering cloths. Pillars similar to the ones in the hallway lines this room as well, dividing the left and right sides form the spacious middle, the walls mainly consisting of windows and balconies then of actual walls. 

             No one was dancing as of yet and the room was filled considerably more with girls then with men. Of course that made a lot of sense, the men here were probably just looking for a date or to become acquaintances with the Lords for there own benefits, since a good amount of those here held some sort of social status they would be better of monetarily with those "friendships". The girls on the other hand were hoping they were soulmates with one of the younger Lords or, at the very least, someone important here. I was glad I had never been worried about that, it seemed those girls were all too worried about receiving attention to relax or be themselves... in a way I pity their spoiled selves. I spun around slightly taking in the beauty of the ball room again and ending up backing into someone. 

            "I'm so sorry!" I quickly blurted out as I turned around, not expecting to be met with soft chuckling. 

     "It is no problem Liliana, I am simply pleased you were able to attend." Gaster said calmly giving a small smile. 

               "Yes, it seems like the ball is going to be a huge success, everything is quite beautiful." 

     "Are you enjoying yourself?" His question caught me off guard, he had invited me here to show they were unbiased so why be concerned about how I felt towards it... it didn't matter so long as I was here right?

             "I.... I was honestly really nervous and overwhelmed when coming, but... yes. So far I would say I've enjoyed it." I answered which seemed to please Gaster.

     "I am glad, and you look very lovely Liliana, a real gem at tonight's ball." He complimented causing me to blush slightly, not used to earning any praise from those other than Katherine. "..especially considering the unfortunate events of the other night." The color quickly drained from my face and my heart beat quickened. How did Lord Gaster know of such things. "There is no need to be alarmed." Gaster reassured, swiftly taking note of the mood change and putting a hand on my shoulder. "We are working to apprehend the villain and anytime you go into town you can ask a guard to accompany you to help you feel safe."

              "Thank you Lord Gaster..." I breathed out.

     "Of course, now I hate to seem rude but I must greet other guests as well, you do not mind if I put this conversation on hold for now do you?" 

                "No, not at all, thank you for your concern." I shook my head before giving a quick curtsy. 

     "Good, I will see you later tonight, and be sure to say hello to my sons." Gaster added the last part as he walked away. I groaned internally at that but I knew it had to happen at some point. Might as well get it over with now though, no point in waiting and worrying about it. I noticed Sans first. He was discussing things with some of the few gentlemen here and leading the conversation, something that seemed normal given his personality. I took their bows as my signal to walk over, replacing them as they walked away muttering things to each other. 

                  "Good evening Lord Sans." I greeted politely with a full curtsy. 

     "Miss Liliana, my father informed me you would be attending!" Sans said, voice laced with energy. Before I even knew what was happening he hand grabbed my hand and kissed the top of it, a gesture common among nobles of equal stature. My face lit up for the second time tonight, luckily Sans seemed oblivious though as he began to talk all about his night and boast. Glancing over his outfit and comparing it to his father's there were definitely some similarities and they were both dressed rather marvelously, I dare say they even out-shined some of the women here in their fancy dresses. "Have you gotten a chance to talk to my brother yet?" The sudden question snapped me out of my thoughts and I simply shook my head. "I see, no problem, I will simply take you to him."

                   "Oh, that's really not necessary!" I interjected, possibly a bit too forcefully since a couple heads turned our way before returning to what they were doing.

     "Nonsense, it is only proper for you to offer greetings and there is no way to do so if you cannot get through the crowd surrounding him so it is only logical I assist you to him."

                  _'There's really no getting out of this huh... guess I do own it to Kat to get to know Papyrus a bit better though... here goes nothing.'_ I thought with a sigh. "Very well Sans, thank you and lead the way." Sans seemed rather pleased with my new answer and took hold of my right wrist, dragging my towards a crowd of people. Basically pushing his way through, people began to part as they saw him, sending smiles his way before being replaced by confusion or disgust upon looking at me. Finally being able to see Papyrus he looked rather dashing, his outfit differing greatly from the other two skeletons' and yet suiting him well. Girls were talking to him and fawning over him but he looked irritated, it's almost as if I could feel the annoyance radiating off of him. 

     "Brother!" Sans almost shouted despite their close proximity. "Liliana is here, just like father said!" With that Sans released my wrist and I automatically gave a curtsy. 

            "Why should I care?" Papyrus rolled his eyes and groaned slightly. 

     "Because it is a guest father said was coming so they were giving you a greeting, anyway I have my own visitors to greet so I'll see you later Paps, and you'd better not leave early!" Sans said with a glare before walking away and disappearing in the crowd. I opened my mouth for a second, reaching out to follow him but he was already long gone. With a sigh I turned back around to find Papyrus' gaze completely locked onto me as if he was thinking. The other girls were trying desperately to get his attention and impress him but he didn't break his gaze with me. I shifted uncomfortably wondering what he could be planning and averted my eyes everywhere but him, my nervousness steadily coming back as the crowd closed in trying to get closer to the Lord and get me out of the way. A smirk steadily grew on Papyrus' face as if a plan was all coming together, a look I did not particularly like. Facing the opposite direction of the crowd I decided to do what they wanted and get out of the way but before I could get far a skeleton hand wrapped around mine. Raising an eyebrow at Papyrus I silently asked what on earth he was planning. 

              "Lady Liliana, it is such a pleasure to see you here. Please, you must honor me with a dance." He smiled, almost, genuinely. I could still see the mischief and alteror motives behind it. The girls quickly protested, saying he should join them in a dance instead but Papyrus simply dragged me onto the dance floor before I could properly respond or realize what was happening. As if expecting this Papyrus took my other hand and placed it on his shoulder before wrapping his free hand around my waist and back. The contact between his finger and my back caused the bruise to ache again but I clenched my jaw to keep from saying anything. Papyrus seemed oblivious as he began leading me to the beat of the song, my attention quickly focusing on keeping with his steps. It was surprising to see how well he danced, I'll be honest it wasn't something I was expecting from a tall lazy playboy. 

      "Might I ask why you wanted to dance with me?" I questioned, giving the slightest glance up at him before focusing on our feet again. Even though I was not a bad dancer and had gotten into time with the song it was better then staring at him or looking at the crowds reaction considering we were the only two dancing. 

                "I needed to get away from all those aggravating girls and as much as we've had our differences and quarrels you're still better then being swarmed by girls in too much fabric. I also knew you wouldn't be drooling over me the whole dance which kinda takes the fun out of it." He replied not looking at me, his head turned and focusing more on the crowd. 

     "So you enjoy dancing?" I asked, getting more intrigued and lifting my head to look at him. His pupils shifted to look down at me, yet he remained silent before looking at the crowd again. 

                "Yes." I giggled gently at his muttered answer, as if embarrassed. "What's so funny?" He asked looking down at me completely now. 

     "Nothing, you just say that like it's a bad thing." I smirked up at him. "It's not wrong for you to like to do things you know, whether or not you are a Lord or an annoying jerk."

               "Wow, thanks." He rolled his eyes making me chuckle again. Though something did catch my eye as I looked at him, something that made my heart flutter. There was just a hint of a smile, a real smile, just for me. Something I had helped give me soulmate. My own face broke into a smile and I started to enjoy the dance so much more. Every step, every spin, every time we pulled apart just to get drawn back together. Neither one of us was paying any attention to the crowd anymore, completely engulfed by the dance,  _our_ dance. Others seemed motivated by us and grabbed a partner before twirling onto the dance floor themselves. I didn't even realize the song had changed until Papyrus gradually came to a stop, ending the moment we had. He didn't let go of my hand though, instead cast a glance around and began pulling me towards one of the doors. 

        "Papyrus, where are we-"

                      "Shhh..." He cut me off, putting a finger to his mouth. "Don't want people to see us running off do we?" He grinned before continuing on. Weaving down hallways and avoiding the few maids and butlers rushing around to complete task we finally stopped in a stark white, sterile room. It had to be a medical room.

       "Are you alright? Why are we here?" I quickly asked, making him stop and looking over him for any signs of injuries or sickness. He blinked before bursting out laughing, making me take a step back. Maybe he had a case of the crazies.... 

                       "You surprise me... no, we're here for you. I could see it when I first put my hand on your back, you were in pain. It caught me off guard though that you cared enough to make sure I was ok." He said once he had calmed down.

       "Maybe it just seemed like that because I didn't want to dance with you." I huffed, crossing my arms and looking away.

                        "No, it wasn't a shutter of dislike or fear... trust me I know what those look like all too well." Papyrus said, muttering out the last part. My arms melted back down to my sides and my eyes filled with sympathy as I watched him rummage through the cabinets. Perhaps we had more in common then either of us realized. 


	14. Wounds

Liliana's P/V:

     "Go ahead and sit up on that table there, I'm gonna take a look at you back." Papyrus said waving an arm towards the metal table, still trying to find items in the cabinets. 

             "W-What?! No!" I quickly interjected causing Papyrus to look over at me confused. "I-....I already had Lady Katherine look over it and she dressed it, she told me not to let it get too much air and that the ointment needed to stay on so you can't unwrap the wound." I half-lied. Thankfully it seemed to be enough for Papyrus who simply sighed and muttered a 'whatever' before pulling out a small bottle of pills.

     "At the very least take one of these." He instructed taking one of them out and dropping it into my palm. "It'll take the pain away for a couple of hours."

                  "Oh, thank you...." I nodded, popping the pill into my mouth before swallowing it as he set the bottle on the counter. "If I might ask though, why are you so worried about it?"

     "Well I can't keep dancing with you if you're in pain now can I? and if I don't dance with you I'll be stuck with all those fangirls the rest of the night." He shrugged, sitting down on the metal table. "Now, I have my own question. How exactly did you get hurt? I know you're a total clutz and all but seriously that didn't seem like a little bump, you must have hit is good for you to be in pain at a slight touch." I hopped up next to him, leaving a good amount of room still between us.

              "Alright, I'll tell you that story..." I shrugged. "Lady Katherine had taken me out dress shopping for tonight. It had been a couple weeks since... since I tripped you so I figured most of the excitement in town had died down, besides there were now guards placed around town so if I ran into trouble I could always just find them. It was getting close to dusk so the sun was going down and shops were closing up; I was just heading down a street enjoying being back when I got the feeling I was being watched and could hear a second set of footsteps. They caught up to me and grabbed me, putting a knife to my neck and saying they were going to sell me. I caught him off guard and started running again but he used magic to shoot me, with what Katherine called "a poison dart" or something, in the back. It slowed me down and I had to dodge some more shots of magic but I managed to get to another street and to some guards. As far as I know the man was never caught and the poison dart caused a giant bruise to form on my back but nothing fatal since Katherine healed it with her own magic." 

      "You say that like this is no big deal." Papyrus stated leaning on his left arm, more towards me, scanning my face and trying to read my expression. I looked over and met his gaze for a second before leaning back on my arms and looking up at the ceiling. 

                  "It really isn't. I been through stuff like that and worst before, besides I'm still here so it doesn't have any lasting effect." 

      "Worst? Worst than getting kidnapped, pft." Papyrus scoffed, backing up and looking away.

                 "I guess it really depends on your point of view but yeah." I continued. "People constantly viewing me as different, messing up my work or house, and there have been occasions where I've been completely beat up and passed out. To me that's just as bad or worst in a way then being kidnapped but I don't know, maybe it's because I've never been successfully kidnapped." I shrugged. Silence crept into the room, neither one of us saying anything to cast it away, simply sitting on the cold metal avoiding eye contact. 

         "....so stuff like that happens a lot?" My eyes couldn't help but wonder back to him as the question escaped his mouth, his gaze fixed on the floor as he now hunched over. 

                  "Yeah.. I mean the kidnapping attempts have only been a couple times but the foreign behavior and mistreatment are much more common. Enough about me though." I said sitting up straighter while turning to him which grabbed his attention. "It's your turn to tell me about your past." He tensed up and for a second and I thought he wasn't going to tell me, to get mad and storm out but instead he took a deep breath that sounded shaky. 

      "..ok, but I'm letting you know right now it's not a very happy story." 

\--------------------------------------

_"Why can't we play with Daddy right now?"  The younger skeleton asked, having trouble keeping up with his big brother's strides._

_"Because, he's busy working." The elder replied, waving his wooden sword in the air as he practiced different techniques._

_"Oh.... then will you play with me?" The younger asked, enthusiasm returning as he held onto his stuffed animal slightly tighter to keep it from falling as he hopped to return to his brother's side. The elder looked down on his brother skeptically before a grin spread across his face._

_"~Why of course dear brother~"_

_....._

_"Come on! Is that all you've got!" The elder yelled down at the smaller form annoyed."You haven't even managed to land a blow on me, heh, simply pathetic. I can't believe you and I are related, play on your own."_

_"Sans wait! I-I'll get better!" The smaller stumbled to his feet, calling out to his sibling to no avail. He sniffed, trying to hold back the tears now welling in his eye sockets, rubbing some of the bruises now forming on his bones. Sans had not held back regardless of Papyrus' younger age and less training, simply yelling insults when his brother did something wrong or couldn't complete a move._ _Picking up his stuffed animal he rubbed his eyes and headed down the hallway._

_Left, right, left, right, right, left, straight._

_Eventually arriving at the door he twisted the knob and trotted out along the path._

_"Maybe there's someone in town who will play with me..."_

_....._

_Running, the stuffed animal tightly grasped in his one hand was starting to rip from the mistreatment the other kids had placed upon it. Papyrus looked back as the group of slightly older kids were yelling at him and quickly gaining ground. Turning the corner he gasped at the sight. A dead end._

_"Well, looks like we've got the little brat now."_

_....._

_Papyrus hiccuped as he sobbed, orange tears freely flowing down his face as he sat against the alley wall. He had just wanted to make friends and they had viewed him as an outcast. What had he done wrong? Why were they mean to him? He just couldn't understand. The child curled up into a ball, heaving out heavy sobs as the pain of his injuries and rejection surged through him. Eventually the sun began to set and he knew he'd have to head home, but the fear of running into those bullies again froze him in place. Slowly he stood up, legs wobbly from the pain and intense emotions earlier. Wiping his face he noticed just how dirty and messed up his clothes were, not to mention himself. Walking past the now useless and broken stuffed animal he looked down both sides of the street seeing no one. Yet he still retreated back into the alley, too scared to take the trek home. Closing his eyes tightly he conjured up as much magic as he could, trying to remember how to summon his blaster like his father had shown him._

_"Yo **U ok** THe **rE** bU **D?** " _

_The sudden voiced scared him and he spun around as he stumbled back from the source._

_"w **OAh T** he **RE**  It **'S**  juST  **m** E, i aI **n'T goN** NA H **Urt** yA" The blaster assured calmly._

_"S-spark." Papyrus mumbled, holding back more tears as he quickly hugged the blaster. It wasn't as big as either of his relatives or as it would be in the future but it would do for the time being._

_"Wh **o di** D t **H** IS  **tO**  Y **Ou.**. **."**  Spark asked with a low growl as he looked over the skeleton's many injuries._

_"S-some older k-kids-s from t-town... I jus-t-t wanted to play..." Papyrus sniffed, his voice cracking as he recalled the events._

_".... **cOmE o** N...  **leT** 'S G **e** T y **O** U h **oM** E..." The blaster sighed, leading the way. Papyrus quickly followed after, putting a hand on the blaster as they walked back towards the woods and the mansion._

_\--------------------------------------------_

    "After that... well I didn't go into town for years. I spent a lot of energy getting stronger, getting smarter so that at the very least my family would accept me." Papyrus sighed. "As we began to grow up I started to match Sans' strength and he began to open up to me more, treat me more like a brother then a practice dummy. I don't blame him for what he did, he had to go through a lot of the same things I did and it's not necessarily my dad's fault for always being busy, heck, we all our now with keeping things in order at the town.... still since then I just found it easier not to worry so much about others opinions..."

             "You found it easier to just be a lazy playboy." I finished for him.

     "I tell you all that and you're calling me names." Papyrus glared at me. 

              "It is what I've always thought of you." I turned towards him. "But I think that can change, and I don't think that's who you really are." I added with a smile. Papyrus seemed to pause for a moment, thinking of how to respond before shaking his head with a chuckle and standing up from the table. 

     "I don't even know why I told you all that." He mumbled, running a hand over his skull. I knew though. Whether people realize they are soulmates or not they feel a sense of calm and trust when together, letting them tell things they wouldn't tell anyone else, even things that may not be the best like our pasts. 

               "Maybe you just needed someone who could relate, sometimes it's helpful to just talk things out to another person." I suggested, hopping of the table and heading towards the door. "Anyway, the pain pill it probably working now and if we stay away any longer they're gonna send a search party for you." Papyrus rolled his eyes and nodded, brushing past me and out the door before stopping.

     "Ya know.... you actually look rather beautiful tonight." He commented without turning towards me and heading back towards the party. My heart skipped a beat and my face lit up a bright red, my mark no doubt glowing on my back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C-could it be?
> 
> Papyrus finally warming up towards Liliana! Yay!.... let's just hope they don't trip each other again......


	15. Heart Pumping

Liliana's P/V:

     My heart was still thumping, pounding, echoing in my ears when I finally started to follow Papyrus, luckily able to get my mark to calm down before he got suspicious. Part of me wanted to believe that he only said that to get a reaction out of me, while the other was convinced it had been genuine. After all he never did look back to see a reaction he just kept walking.... Shaking in off and taking in a deep breath I began to get rid of the red tint on my face, hoping no one would notice. Papyrus was completely ignoring me as we walked down the hallways, slower then before. 

   _'I guess he's in no hurry to get back to the ball...'_ I thought as I looked at the ground, keeping Papyrus' boots in sight so I could keep up with him. _'My soulmate mark started glowing back there so I hope Papyrus' didn't too... I wonder... what does his even look like?'_ That thought made my head pop up and focus on the skeleton trudging silently in front of me.  _'In a way it doesn't really matter, we're still soulmates but still it would be nice to know what it is, but at the same time I can't just ask him... maybe Spark will tell me though, I'll ask him next time he stops by.'_  I nodded to myself agreeing with the little plan I had finished just in time for Papyrus to stop in front of a door. He cracked the door open, glancing around to check that no one was watching the door before grabbing my wrist once again and sneaking us through the door. 

           "Here we are." Papyrus sighed, crossing his arms. I stared at him for a second as he pouted before shaking my head and putting my hand on his arm. 

     "Well, you've got a dance partner whenever you need to escape the crowds." I said giving him a slight smirk. He grinned a bit and I took that as a favorable answer before taking my leave. When I glanced back girls were already surrounding him again and I couldn't help but laugh as he tried to keep them out of his personal space. Turning away and trying to find a place to hang out quietly my thoughts were cut off by amazing scents reaching my nose once again. I had seen some of the delectables before but with running into all the skeletons and having an emotional chat with Papyrus I hadn't had a chance to eat any yet. My stomach growled letting me know I had to at least eat  _one_  of those treats and my feet responded, immediately carrying me over to the tables. My mouth was watering as I looked over the assortment of foods, unsure of which of them to chose. On the one hand sweets were a safe bet and were no doubt going to be great but on the other hand meats would probably be more filling...

            "Hard decision isn't it?" A voice startled me from behind. Seriously, what was it with people and sneaking up on me?! Maybe I just spaced out often or looked easily scared... I turned around, coming eye to eyes with a spider monster who gave me a small smirk. 

       "Yeah, everything smells so good I can't chose." I admitted, rubbing the back of my head as I was slightly embarrassed. 

               "Considering I am the head chef I think I can give you a bit of good advice about what to eat." She winked with a triumphant grin. "My recommendation would be my famous spider doughnuts, they're a bit more on the sweet side but they aren't too sugary at the same time. I've perfected the ratio of icing to dough and lightly decorate it with web mimicking icing and sprinkles." As she continued to describe the delectable treat a bit more my mouth watered, she definitely knew what she was doing because each word she used made the doughnut sound more and more irresistible. 

       "Ok, ok, you got me hooked, I'll try a spider doughnut." I finally gave in earning a chuckle from the chef monster who rolled around the table, quickly returning with the sweet. "Thank you." I smiled as I took the plate from her hands, soon after taking a bite of the doughnut to satisfy both my appetite and the spider monster eagerly awaiting my reaction. "This-" I started before finishing swallowing. "This has got to be one of the best things I have ever tasted." I said marveling at the piece of food now with a chunk missing.

           "Oh ho ho~ I just knew you'd like it dearly!~" The spider laughed with a hand by her mouth. "Now if you ever need any more help with food choices you just ask for Muffet, I'll be there in a flash deary~" She smiled before wheeling off. I swiftly finish the rest of the snack and a butler almost immediately came and took the now empty plate from my hands which I thanked him for. Glancing around the ball room again I noticed Sans now standing next to his brother in the large crowd obviously enjoying the attention while Papyrus was glad to be able to have some breathing space now. His eyes met mine and for a minute we just stared at each other somewhat awkwardly. 

         'Need to escape?' I mouthed to him, not wanting to shout across the ball room. Apparently my silent words didn't reach him because he simply raised an eyebrow. I sighed, thinking for a second of how else I could contact him without getting drowned by the mass of girls. A idea sparked in my head though I wasn't sure if this was going to work much better.  ** _'Would you like to dance?'_**  I signed somewhat slowly to him. His face lit up in somewhat surprise which I took as him understanding. He turned around and set down the glass he was holding before signing back to me.

      ** _'You know sign language?'_**  He asked.

               I nodded.  _' **Yeah, it's a long story for another day, besides you didn't answer my question.'**_ I replied, going a bit faster this time since I knew he understood. 

     _ **'Eager to dance with me again I see.'**_ He winked with a smirk. I rolled my eyes from his teasing, though a slight smile was present on my face.

            _ **'Fine then, I'll leave you to get trampled by that crowd.'**_  I signed pretending to start to turn away resulting in Papyrus quickly starting to sign back.

       _ **'-serious! Ok, yes, I would like to dance with you just get me someplace where I can move more than two feet!'**_  I picked up most of his reply when I turned back to face him, a slight nod being my only response. My feet started walking me towards the crowd, slightly turning so I headed towards the dance floor as I noticed Papyrus managing to work his way out of the crowd. As he begins to walk towards me and straighten out his suit I offer my hand. As I do so I notice how different my tan hands are from every other women's hands here. They had soft, gentle hands while mine were callused and rough, a few scars scattered among them turning my soft smile into a frown as I focused on all the impurities in my hand. My thoughts were cut short when Papyrus' hand slide into mine and he dragged me to the dance floor just like before. Snapping my focus up to him his gaze wasn't on me but his hand squeezed mine slightly, as if acknowledging my look. Other people were already on the dance floor so we didn't go very far before we begin to move to the beat, hoping to avoid all the attention we attracted earlier. The comfortable silence settled in with us again as our feet tap onto the tiles in sync. Papyrus keeps his focus on the crowd, only glancing at me every now and then from the corner of his eye-socket before looking away again.

        "Papyrus." I whispered earning his attention as I make a goofy face. This seemed to catch him off guard and he trieed hard to hold back a laugh, a few snickers still breaking through as a cheesy smile covered his face. A small laugh broke through my voice before I grinned widely, glad I had successfully managed a smile on his face.

          "Hey Liliana-" Papyrus started.

      "Mind if I cut in?" A growingly familiar voice asked as my hand was taken from Papyrus' and wrapped up by another. As I was spun around and swept away from Papyrus I finally got a look at the culprit who was heartily laughing at the defeated and annoyed expression covering his son's face. Lord Gaster was now leading me in this dance and taking us further into the crowd of dancers before Papyrus could intervene. 

      "You know some people would consider stealing a dance like that quite rude." I raised an eyebrow at Gaster with a slight smirk. 

        "I'm simply keeping true to my word, I said we would talk later and now is later, besides the ball will be coming to a close soon so I don't have much time left to talk to you."

     "..what did you want to talk about?" I asked somewhat cautiously.

           "Why, your mark Liliana." Gaster's response made my heart skip a beat and for a second everything stood still. "For now I will not tell anyone since I assume you have your own reasons for keeping such a thing secret but I'll have you know I am not so easily fooled. Your answers the first day we met raised my suspicions and your interactions with Papyrus have confirmed those. Not only do you have a mark and soulmate your soulmate happens to be my youngest son."

    "H-how did you?..." My voice quieter and more unsure then before. 

           "I know my sons better than anyone and from how you have gone from mortal enemies to laughing together is not an easy feat without the assistance of a soulmate attachment. I have learned enough about soulmates and their marks to be able to tell such things easily. Again I assure you this will remain our secret for now, well yours, mine, and Lady Katherine's since she without a doubt knows, she always was nosy.... Anyway you should tell Papyrus soon, he is eager to find you." 

     "He's eager to find someone with a soulmate mark for him, he doesn't care who it is." I huffed looking away from him. "That's the trouble with these marks, people are quick to judge because of them."

         "That is why you hide yours."

     "Yes, and if Papyrus and I really are destined to be together we can fall in love without the knowledge of matching marks." My head whipped back around to Gaster, a determined expression on my face.

          "You know this can lead to problems..." Gaster sighed shaking his head while a smirk spread across my face. 

       "Every action a person takes will have possible negative and positive outcomes, this is nothing new, surely a science guru like yourself must know that." Gaster chuckled lightly at my response. 

            "Indeed... but still be careful Liliana, I wouldn't want anything to happen to my future daughter-in-law."

      "I'll keep that in mind Gaster." I nodded.

            "Good, now go ahead out, I'm sure Lady Katherine arranged for a carriage to be awaiting you. I must go and draw tonight's festivities to a close." With those words Gaster released me from our dance and headed off towards the very front of the room where 3 thrones lined up, one for each of the skeletons and the best place to give announcements. Turning on my heel I made my way out of the ballroom, casting a small wave back to Papyrus and Sans as they noticed me leaving. My heels clicked against the tiles in the grand hallway, the only sound once I had left the crowded ball room. Slowly making my way down the stairs the coachman from earlier noticed and brought the rented carriage around front and opened the door for me, helping my step up into the vehicle. 

       Letting out a sigh as the vehicle began moving I slipped the shoes off my now aching feet. Though these shoes weren't too bad, they were actually quite comfortable, wearing any fancy shoes for too long makes a girl's feet ache. A smile worked its way onto my face and a fuzzy feeling spiraled around in my stomach as I thought about telling Lady Katherine about tonight and how happy she would be to admit she was right. My mind replayed her response to me calling her mom and it lifted my heart up even higher. I couldn't contain the laughter of pure joy that ensued as the entire night replayed in my head but I did hope the coachman didn't hear me. As we reached the end of the pathway to Lady Katherine's house I leaned out the window-like opening and told the driver to stop. Stepping out of the carriage and letting my toes hug the soil I walked around front and told the coachman to go ahead home, I could walk the little distance back. He seemed slightly hesitant for a second before agreeing and turning the carriage around.I was almost skipping as I went back to the house, my excited energy radiating off of me as I had to control the urge to completely sprint home.

        I stopped as the small wooden building came into sight, the grip on my shoes slipping as they fell and rolled slightly in the dirt. My heartbeat exponentially quicken and my mind screamed at me to run inside yet didn't let me move at the same time. Hundreds of scenarios ran through my mind, jumbling together and confusing me even more. For you see the door to the cabin had been ripped off and thrown onto the ground as a warm sunset orange glow set the building ablaze.  


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so a part of me really wanted to leave a cliff hanger for that last chapter.... bbbbuuttt I do have this chapter ready so why not go ahead and put it out since that lats chapter left on a somewhat intense note

Liliana's P/V:

     The orange hues bounced off the sparkles on my dress making it shimmer and shine as beautifully as at the ball, the heat radiating off of the building casting away the cold of night and surrounding me comfortably. I needed to get help but at this rate the house would be in ashes before I could get anywhere and back. Ideas buzzed around my mind confusing me further and making my fear induced immobility worst, my eyes wide as they took in every detail of the event.

       _'Not again... dang it you will not stand by again!'_ My brain shouted at me as I bolted inside the building. I bent over slightly and covered my mouth with my hand in a pathetic attempt to keep the smoke from entering my lungs. 

      "KATHERINE!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, my eyes frantically dashing around the house as I stumbled in further. The once comforting heat was now burning me alive, the shear ends of my dress disappearing and sparks flying onto my skin, attacking with a painful sizzle. The flames brushed my feet making each step more painful and I could feel blood dripping from them but I had not time to worry about that now. Certain rooms were blocked off by fire and I prayed she wasn't in those. The living room was my last hope and my eyes stopped on a calm figure in the mist of the chaos. "MOM!" My voice screamed for me as I rushed to her side, certain parts of her fur had been charred away by the flames, red liquid dripping down onto the floor and staining her fur. Her eyes gently opened and met mine as I picked her up and held her in my arms, tears threatening to fall and burning in my eyes as they heated up. 

           "What took you so long..." Her usually welcoming voice now horse and scratchy from the smoke. 

     "I"m sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm gonna get you out of here ok?.." 

             "You know very well I am not getting out of here." She said with a ghost of a smile, my eyes widening further at her words.

     "What-"

              "My HP is low as it is and I've been in the smoke for too long, you need to get out of here before you get stuck in here too, ok?.." I shook my head firmly at her request, glancing around for any sort of way to get her out quick. "That wasn't a request..." My eyes snapped back to her. "You go and live a good life, that's a final request from your mother.... I love you..." A tear escaped her eyes as she smiled up at me, her soul being called out of her chest.

**KATHERINE**

**HP: 0/68**

     Before I could reply her soul shattered and her body melted away into dust in my arms, the tears flowing freely down my face as I starred in shock at what remained of my adoptive mother.  Instincts kicked in making me flee to the outside, the choker and small straps melting away to leave burns in their place as I coughed up the smoke that had managed its way into my lungs. I spun around to look at the house being licked up by the relentless flames, the soil digging into my cut and cooked feet, leaving red footprints on the ground but adrenaline pushed the pain from my mind. My arms wrapped around myself and the ripped remains of my dress with the cold nipping at my skin and wounds. The silent tears wouldn't stop and slowly became louder until I was completely sobbing, hiccups mixed in to the mess as I fell to my knees, doubling over and letting my head rest on the soft soil.

Gaster P/V:

       Slamming down the last piece of paper I sighed, glad everything for the ball was now finished and in order again. The boys had gone to sleep about an hour ago, right after the last guest had left. What was so surprising was that Papyrus had actually stayed for the entire ball this time... well I guess that shouldn't be too surprising seeing as his soulmate was by his side most the time. Chuckling to myself I stood up, heading down the hallway towards my room anxious to finally get some rest. 

          "My Lord." A maid hurried to my side with a distraught expression on her face. "Someone is at the door..."

       "Who would be here at this hour?..." I asked more to myself then the servant.

            "I am not sure my lord but when I tried to send them away they were rather insistent on seeing you and they're covered in-"

     "GASTER!! PLEASE LET ME IN!!" A voice yelled while banging on the door. It was scratchy, like person using it had been screaming before but I could still tell perfectly who it was. Making my way to the front door in seconds I yanked the door open to see Liliana's weak form startle back slightly. Her body was littered with varying burns and a few scratches, her legs ready to give out at a moments notice. Her face looked up at me wide-eyed with remnants of tears clearly shown. 

            "My word...." I muttered, quickly kneeling down so I was closer to her height and taking her hands as I checked her HP.

**LILIANA**

**HP: 43/97**

            "What happened." I now asked with a sigh of relief that her HP was stable. 

      "I-I.... it just..... I went home a-and..... it's g-g-gone...." Liliana started to sob again, barely able to form a coherent sentence. I huffed, gently picking her up in my arms and heading to the medical room as Liliana gripped onto me like a life line. Prying her off of me and setting her on the examination table I rolled up my sleeves to my forearms while getting out the needed supplies. Glazing over her I noticed her feet seemed to be in the worst state and began to clean the blood and dirt from the wounds. Liliana winced but said nothing as she gripped onto the edge of the table.

          "Child did you walk here in this condition?" My glance parted up to her for a second as she nodded. "You know that was not a wise choice, you're feet have no doubt gotten worst from the journey and you could have been attacked easily!" I scolded. 

     "I... I know but... I didn't know where else to go...." Her voice broke off. My heart ached slightly with how weak and broken she sounded, but I shook it off and focused on wrapping her feet as I coated them with medicine. "It's all gone Gaster...." As she began to explain I paused, securing the bandage on her one foot and giving her my full attention. Liliana took a minute to try and compose herself before continuing on. "When I got to the house t-the door had been taken off and the house w-was on fire.... I ran inside to find Lady Katherine a-and when I found her..." Another sob broke through. "s-she was so weak... I couldn't save her... she d-died-d Gaster and I couldn't h-h-help I couldn't do anything...." She was rapidly wiping off the tears as they came. My heart skipped a beat and the ache settled in my chest again. "I"m sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." the girl began repeating as I slowly stood up. She gasped as I gently wrapped my arms around her. 

            "It's not your fault. In a situation like that you had no control. It's going to be alright. I'm going to figure out who did this and bring them to justice... for now you'll stay here, we're going to take care of you Liliana...." I explained gently as she leaned into me and held on tightly once again. With some time she began to calm down a bit allowing me to get back to tending her wounds. As the last bandage was secured I picked her up again before she could even think about walking herself and carried her off to one of the spare bedrooms, gently placing her down on the freshly made bed. "Get some rest, we'll talk more in the morning." I instructed before turning to leave. 

          "G-Gaster..." She said hesitantly.

                  "Yes Liliana." 

           "Thank you." She said offering a small smile. I paused before nodding leaving the room and shutting the door quietly. As I traveled down the hall my hands clenched into fists and my jaw tightened. Whoever had  _dared_  to hurt my family like this.... they were going to pay ten fold. 


	17. Morning Silence

Liliana's P/V:

      My head pounded as I woke up and I lightly held it as I sat up. The events of last night had plagued my dreams and caused me to shake slightly as I gripped onto the bed sheets in an attempt to calm down before I began crying again. 

         "I wonder who's in there!"

       "Shh, they could still be sleeping, besides dad said not to mess with them remember?"

           "Yeah, but he also said we could talk with them if they gave us permission!" 

    Muffled voices bickered outside my door and drew me out of my trance as I recognized it as the skeleton brothers. A faint smile found it's way to my face and I climbed out of bed, my feet throbbing as they hit the floor but I had to walk, there was no other way for me to get around. Stumbling to the closet I was relieved to find clothes already lining it, ranging from grand dresses and suits to simpler attire. I grabbed the most basic dress I could find, pealing off the scorched dress from last night and quickly checking my bandages for any blood stains. They all seemed alright so I slipped on the short sleeved blue dress, lightly tying the ribbon around my waist before heading towards the main door.

       "Hey, wait I think I hear something in there.... I bet they're awake!" 

      "Then step back from the door idiot! Whoever is in there will be thoroughly creeped out by how close you are to barging into their room..." 

    Grabbing the doorknob I twisted it, slowly opening the door to make sure I didn't hit Sans in the face with it since he had to be leaning against it to be able to hear me. Both skeletons starred with interest as I slowly made my way out and shut the door. They weren't really wearing pajamas but nothing fancy either, just normal button down shirts and pants, though Sans' was tucked in and looked slightly more presentable then Papyrus's half buttoned and untucked shirt. 

       "Liliana! So you were our mystery guest!" Sans exclaimed excited and I simply gave a small nod. "Well then this looks like another case solves by the Magnificent and Terrifying Sans... you'll have to tell me more about how you got here over breakfast!" He said as he bounded off, presumably to the dinning room. My gaze wondered up to Papyrus who seemed to be looking at the bandages that covered my neck and shoulders, feet, and some other areas along my arms and legs. His face turned from emotionless to his usual carefree smirk.

       "Heh, you look horrible sweetheart." He chuckled.

     "Wow thanks." I rolled my eyes as I ignored his nickname, my throat aching slightly as I used my broken voice. His face went back to unreadable for a second before he shook his head and began walking off, motioning for me to follow. I slowly followed after, my legs not really wanting to cooperate making me wince. Papyrus stopped and let out a long sigh before picking me up and continuing like normal. I paused in surprise before slowly leaning into him and burying my face into his shirt. 

Papyrus' P/V:

    When Liliana stepped out of the room I could instantly tell something was wrong. She smiled up at us lightly but I could see the pain and sorrow in her eyes. It.... It made my whole soul ache... why did I care this much?.... maybe I was just worried about what cause it... yeah worried that she broke something in the room or messed up my town again... but those bandages... there's so many, what happened to her? Why is she even on her feet? Her gaze met mine, the same sadness filling them and striking pain into my soul.

       "Heh, you look horrible sweetheart." I plastered my usual smirk on my face and teased her.

  "Wow thanks." She rolled her eyes but made no comeback and her voice... goodness it sounded bad, not it's usual soft and gentle tone but a harsh and scratchy tone... Pushing that aside I began to head towards the dinning room, motioning for the girl to follow me. As we started walking I heard her wince, of course her feet had been bandaged tightly so something must have happened to them.

       _'Nice going idiot.'_  I thought while letting out a long sigh. Turning around I carefully picked her up and continued on, keeping my focus on the hallways instead of her. She seemed shocked for a minute before snuggling into me and holding on, my eyes being pulled down towards her for a second before I regained my focus. _'What on earth happened to her... she wasn't here when I went to bed so she must have come after that. There was a bit of time between when she left and then but what could she have done to result in these injuries.... better yet what type of injuries does she even have? It seems pretty obvious she's not going to talk about it right now but none of the servants would have just let her in so Dad must have let her in. Alright, I'll ask him after breakfast.'_ Servants gave us a confused expression as their hands rested on the doors to the dinning room, my glare quickly reminding them of their duty and they jolted before swinging the doors open and letting us inside. Sans and dad were already inside, their food in front of them but remaining untouched. Dad was completely engulfed in papers and it didn't look like he got much, if any sleep last night. Liliana loosened her grip on me and faced out towards the others.

       "G-good morning." She said a bit shakily at first. Dad whipped his head up at her voice and stood up, only raising my suspicions about her surprise arrival even more. 

            "Morning Miss Liliana.. how did you sleep?"

       "I....I sleep alright...." She answered with a moment of hesitance as I set her down in the chair immediately to the left of my father at the foot of the long, wooden table. "Thank you." She said quietly with that same ghost of a smile as I sat next to her. Gaster took his seat again as our food was placed in front of us and Sans immediately dug in. As I began to eat I watched Liliana from the corner of my eye sockets, she simply moved her food around with a fork, only taking a few forced bites as if out of courtesy or respect for the chef. The silence that sat in the dinning room was suffocating.... something was obviously going on so why can't they just spit it out already?! I slammed my silverware back on the table as I stood. Sans and Gaster merely giving me a glance while Liliana jumped in her seat and put a hand on her chest out of pure surprise. 

          "Alright, what the heck is going on here?!" I shouted, glaring up at my father for answers.

      "Papyrus." Gaster answered back with a hint of hostility in his voice. "We will discuss this later." 

           "Why can't you just answer me now, huh?! What's so secret? Why is she here? Why is she hurt? Obviously something is going on and I deserve to know about it!" I continued.

     "Papyrus, this is not the time." My father said standing up.

          "No.... he's right." Both of our gazes feel on Liliana as she stared at her lap, hands clenching onto the fabric of her dress.

    "Liliana... you do not have to talk about it if you are not ready..." My fathers voice now held concern and worry.

          "No, I am not the only one who cared for her. It would be selfish of me to hold this back, besides maybe I'll remember something that can help us find whoever did this." Liliana shook her head slightly. "Last night when I returned home from the ball Lady Katherine's house was up in flames... I went in to try and save her but.... I was not able to... I am sorry...." Small dots of the blue fabric began to darken as tears slid down her face. I took a step back in shock before turning up to my dad for confirmation. He simply nodded before comforting Liliana. I stole a glance over at Sans who was shaking and visibly making an effort not to cry. My soul was pounding in my chest and echoing over in my skull, my legs wobbly as I gripped onto the table for support and put a hand to my head. We had known her since we were just baby bone, she couldn't be gone just like that...

        "I'm so sorry... m-mom why did you have to go...." Liliana's sobs broke my thinking off and my soul skipped a beat. Mom? Was that how close they were? No wonder she's seemed so broken this morning. My head yelled out to me to comfort her, support her as I focused on her shivering, shaking, and sobbing form. 

         "Liliana." I said firmly as I keeled beside her. My father gave me a warning glare as the girl turned from him and removed their hands from her face. Her eyes were so red, the tiredness and brokenness showing through ever more then before. "We  _will_  find whoever did this and bring them to justice. I promise you that.... and, for what it's worth, if Lady Katherine viewed you as family you are welcome here." Her form seemed to relax slight at my words, a hiccup breaking through before she flung herself at me and held on tightly. I stiffened up, not used to being a comforter but I slowly relaxed, rubbing her back and holding her close as she sobbed and muttered thank yous mixed with I'm sorry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woopty do more sobbing and feel yay!


	18. Grief

Liliana's P/V:

     No one ate much for the rest of the day, or well... more like week. We ate a little here and there but we were all either too upset to eat or the boys were too busy trying to figure out who could have done this to Lady Katherine. They always made time to come in and check on me though, and even the servants would check in and talk to me every now and then.... it was nice. It was a great comfort and was probably the only thing that kept me from complete despair. I let out a sigh of relief as I finished unwrapping the last set of bandages, the cool air stinging slightly against the burns but also feeling good as they began to scab over and heal. The burns around my neck and shoulders were pretty much gone by now and the few that had been sprinkled across my arms and legs were just small cuts now; yet, my knees were still banged up good. My feet were taking longest to heal but whatever Gaster had been putting on them was making them heal faster then they would normally for a human. He re-bandaged them about every 5 hours on the dot to make sure the medicine doesn't go through the bandages and that the burns weren't getting infected. 

     "Knock knock." I looked over at the door to see the younger skeleton brother standing there.

         "Hello." I replied with a small smile, bringing my feet closer to the table. As of now only Gaster had seen my wounds and I would rather keep it that way instead of worrying others.

     "You're suppose to say who's there." Papyrus chuckled with a soft smile. His personality had seemed to change the most towards me over the past few days. He was definitely still rough around the edges and could snap at people but he was gentler and kinder to me than even at the ball.... perhaps it was simply pity over the event or grief taking it's toll on him. It could also be he was finally warming up to me, beginning to trust me... from what he's told me about his past I wouldn't be surprised that it's taken this long to earn a bit of trust from him. It filled me with.... hope. 

           "Oh, sorry." I said rubbing the back of my head. 

     "Nah, it's alright. I'm not sure how 'humerus' that joke was anyway." He smirked while walking further into the room. I snickered slightly, covering my mouth with my hand to keep from laughing further.

             "Very well, what brings you to the medical room?" 

     "Dad said he was gonna be in the middle of some important meeting with the guards to see what info they had gotten when you needed to be re-bandaged. So he asked me to do it." Papyrus shrugged. "Sans isn't exactly the best with the medical stuff which means I gotta do it."

            "Oh...." I said quietly while I glanced down.

     "..what? Do you really not like me that much?....."

           "What? No, no! It's nothing like that at all!" I quickly interjected waving my arms slightly while looking up at him. He had a giant grin on his face and I instantly relaxed, realizing he was just teasing me. 

    "Alright, then there's no problem." He said kneeling down and gently pulling my feet away from the table. I went along with it as he silently began looking over my feet, having me move them slightly to see if it hurt to go in certain directions. "It looks like they're still healing pretty well... a few more days and they shouldn't hurt at all. Ok, so where did that old man put the medicine...." He muttered the last part to himself as he began shifting through the cabinets. Glancing to the side I could see the container of medicine sitting in plain sight on the counter while Papyrus rummaged through the cabinets, quickly getting annoyed. I couldn't help but laugh a bit causing Papyrus to glance back at me. "What's got you all giddy?"

            "Nothing.... just... I know where the medicine is." That caused him to whip around and slam the cabinet door shut.

    "Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?!" He said exasperated.

              "I didn't see it in the beginning, I only just noticed now." I explained crossing my arms. "It's on the counter over there." I finished nodding my head in that direction. He grumbled as he swiped up the container and flung it open before kneeling in front of me again. Despite his bad attitude his touch was very gentle and he would pull away for a second when I flinched, muttering a small sorry. Within a few minutes my feet were completely wrapped up again, just as good as if Gaster had done them. "...thank you." I smiled looking up from the bandages to the skeleton. 

     "It's no biggie." He shrugged, putting the items back on the counter. 

                "It is to me." He stopped for a moment before continuing to put everything away.

      "...before I forget, my dad wanted you to join the meeting after your feet were taken care of. He said they have reason to believe the fire is connected to the man who tried to kidnap you. The meeting is in his office, you remember where that is right?"

               "Oh, yeah I know the way." I nodded gently sliding off the counter. "I'll see you later Papyrus." 

Papyrus' P/V:

 "It's no biggie." I shrugged, putting the items back on the counter.

             "It is to me." Her response made me stop for a moment before I continued to put everything away. Why did that mean so much to me?

      "...before I forget, my dad wanted you to join the meeting after your feet were taken care of. He said they have reason to believe the fire is connected to the man who tried to kidnap you. The meeting is in his office, you remember where that is right?" I tried to compose myself from my thoughts as I told her. 

                  "Oh, yeah I know the way." She replied and I could hear her feet carefully hit the floor. "I'll see you later Papyrus." Once she had left I ran a hand over my skull and sighed. What was this girl doing to me.... shoving my hands into my pockets I headed back to my own office, slamming the door shut and sitting at my desk, resting my hand in my skull. My eye sockets slowly began to feel heavy as I focused on the papers, shaking it off and working once again.

...

         "My Lord!" My head popped off my desk as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, holding back a yawn. 

      "What is it?" I asked irritated while looking at the servant.

            "We've found her!"

     "Who?..." I said confused. I was not aware we were currently searching for someone, after all we didn't have any definitive evidence on Lady Katherine's case last I knew...

             "Your soul mate!" 


	19. Soulache

Papyrus' P/V:

     My soul pounded through my rib-cage and echoed in my skull as I rushed through the house towards the front door. The servant had simply told me where she was and I wasted no time to go see for myself. Weaving through the hallways my anxiousness and adrenaline increased,  _'What would she be like? What would she look like? What type of monster is she? What does her voice sound like?_ ' Thoughts like these swarmed through my head as I stopped at the top of the stairs, panting slightly to regain my breath as I looked down at the figure by the doorway.

       "Good afternoon Lord Papyrus." She simply said with a smile and curtsy. 

Liliana's P/V:

     My mind went over all the information I had been able to collect from the guard's meeting with Gaster. I recited every bit of information I could remember about the night I was almost kidnapped recently and multiple people had frantically taken down noted about it. Gaster had ordered them to be on the lookout for any monster who showed a hint of magic similar to what I had described, though I doubt the monster would be flaunting that ability, especially with all the guards around. I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck and glancing around while I wondered down the hallways. Suddenly I saw Papyrus rush through the hallway in front of me, a few of the maids stepping out of the way as he barreled down without a care towards them. 

      "Are you alright?" I asked some of the maids who seemed a bit startled.

              "Yes, yes we're fine." One nodded. "Besides it makes sense that he is in such a rush...."

     "..what do you mean?" I asked cocking an eyebrow.

                "Haven't you heard the news? Oh the whole building is bustling with excitement about it!" Another said with a  giggle.

       "No... I just left a meeting with some of the guards..." I said shaking my head. I was getting a rather bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, something about this did not seem right.

                "Well Liliana, it seems my lazy brother's soul mate has finally turned up! Isn't this wonderful!" Sans said with a huge smile across his face as he ran up to me and took my hands. "I heard she's incredibly beautiful and that she was waiting by the front door for my brother! Oh, I'm sure we'll get to start planning a wedding soon, oh, and you can help of course!" He continued as he spun us around and around in the hallway. My heart felt like it had just dropped into my stomach and I suddenly felt extremely sick. My soul felt like it was cracking, breaking apart. This.... this couldn't be happening, right?....we couldn't both be Papyrus' soulmate.... the same person having two soulmates, that was unheard of... but why was I so worried then?.... I quickly masked my incredible pain with a smile and simply nodded as Sans talked. 

      "I...I think I'm going to head to my room... you should go and meet your brother's soulmate, she will be your sister-in-law after all, right?" I said slipping my hands out of his.

                 "What a marvelous idea! I'll see you later then!" Sans waved off as he bolted down the halls. I waved back slightly, my smile starting to break as well as I quickly shuffled off in the direction of my room. My legs felt weak and shaky, like they were ready to crumble beneath me and abandon me too. My hand shook violently as I reached for my door handle and my surrounding began to blur as the tears built up in my eyes. 

           "Liliana." A calm voice from behind me made me jump as I grabbed onto the handle tightly. 

     "Y-yes Gaster?" I breathed out almost silently. I did not trust my voice very much at this point and I didn't dare look back at him with the state I was in. 

          "Liliana." Gaster repeated and I could hear him step closer to me. "Look at me." He said firmly. Slowly I turned around as I blinked the tears back and forced a smile onto my face while I looked up at him.

     "What's up?" I asked trying to get this over with quickly. He sighed making my smile waver as I assumed he was onto my little charade. My eyes darted away from him as he slowly keeled now in front of me. 

             "I gather that you have heard the news about our... guest?" He said, struggling to find the right word and I nodded. "It is a rather interesting discovery with rather convenient timing. For now I believe that we should go along with this, but I am quite certain they are not Papyrus' true soulmate."

     "W-what?..." I said confused, my shoulders relaxing slightly as Gaster put a hand on my shoulder.

              "You are Papyrus' soulmate. I do not have a single doubt in my mind about that. Whoever has come and claimed to be Papyrus' soulmate might have something to do with Lady Katherine's murder, since I doubt them showing up now, while we're focusing on this event and may seem emotionally weak, is just by accident. So, I need you to be strong. To go along with all this and seem ok with it. Don't give anyone any reason to doubt this new acquaintance. Before you ask, no we can't tell Sans or Papyrus, if they know then they could easily let the fake know we are onto them without realizing it. Trust me, this is going to be the best solution until we get more information and it will help protect them both."

     "I.....I'll try." I nodded, a new sense of Determination flowing through me. If there was a chance this was going to lead up to Lady Katherine's killer I was going to take it, and if this was going to be the best way to protect Papyrus for now I was going to do it.... even if it meant dealing with this pain in my soul for now. 

                  "Atta girl, I'd expect nothing else from my future daughter." Gaster said standing up with a slight grin. I laughed slightly at that, rubbing the last remnants of tears from my eyes before he offered his hand out to me. "Now, let's go meet this impostor, shall we?"

_________________________________________

I've got a tumblr now! I'll be posting story and life updates, fanart, and story related art there!

[SkeletonGlasses](https://skeletonglasses.tumblr.com/)


	20. Impostor Shenanigans

Liliana's P/V:

      Gaster and I walked side by side down the hallway, a smile on both of our faces. Both of us knew the others was forced but the staff seemed to be buying it easily... which makes me wonder how often Gaster puts on a charade like this. Papyrus' laugh echoed down the hallway as we got nearer. Wa....was she really that funny and charming to him? The laugh seemed genuine but maybe it was just the excitement from meeting his potential soulmate lingering? Gaster gave me a reassuring pat on the back and I sucked in a deep breath. Stepping through the doors and into the den we could see Sans sitting in a plush leather chair, hanging right on the edge to get closer to Papyrus' soulmate. Papyrus and the girl were sitting in a love seat, huddled close together with Papyrus' left arm swung snugly around her. She was obviously a monster, from the looks of it a similar species to what m-..... Lady Katherine had been. The difference being though that Katherine had been a feline and  this women being a bear. As soon as her eyes met with us she hopped to her feet and hurried over to Lord Gaster.

       "It is an absolute pleasure to meet you sir!" She greeted enthusiastically with a bow. Her shimmering white fur looked like silk in the light and contrasted greatly with the glossy red lipstick she wore. The dress was a matching wine red that folded and pleated to match that of a blooming rose. Her figure and posture were, to put it simply, perfect. "My name is Dolores."

            "Like wise." Gaster gave a curt nod. "Though I must ask... would it be alright for me to see your soulmate mark?"

     "Of course." Dolores smiled, showing her right palm. In the center of it laid an image of a bone surrounded by orange and red coloring.

            "You have a spot type mark I see..." Gaster said more to himself. "Well, we are glad to have you here, do you plan to stay here while we work on arranging the wedding or would you prefer to keep residence at your previous home?"

     "My old home if you don't mind, there are still some items I need to attend to before the wedding." 

               "Ah, I understand." W.D. nodded once again before casting a glance in my direction. 

      "Bummer!" Papyrus sighed as he laid his head back on the love seat. 

               "Before I forget, this is a friend of ours who is acting as a guest currently. Dolores, this is Liliana." Gaster waved a hand over to me as a gesture. 

           "It is an honor to meet you," I began with a polite curtsy. "I'm very glad that you and Papyrus have found their soulmate."

       "Indeed...." Dolores said with the same smile still spread upon her face. As her hazel eyes met mine though a could see a sense of hatred and hostility.

             "Come on then, now that introductions are out of the way a tour is in order!" Sans shouted as he leap to his feet and enthusiastically raced out the door. Papyrus and Dolores linked arms before following after the smallest skeleton while Gaster and I exchanged looks once more. I got a bad feeling about Papyrus' so called 'soulmate'. 

..........

     Papyrus and Dolores have been nearly inseparable for two weeks. Every time I see them together they seem truly happy and... it hurts. Gaster announced that he was going to be arranging everything for the wedding which I assume is so that he can keep from there actually being a wedding between the two. Dolores is no doubt making my life more miserable in any way she can, be it from 'accidentally' spilling wine at me during dinner to tripping me in the library. As if being in this strange setting without Lady Katherine wasn't enough, now I had to put up with this faker. I groaned, releasing the tension in my shoulders I had unknowingly pent up. Spending some time in the gardens would no doubt help me clear my head, after all Gaster had told me there was finally a lead. Perhaps soon we could figure this all out and-

     I halted in my tracks, my hand frozen as it reached out towards the brass handle of the glass doors. Papyrus and Dolores were in the gardens, the one place I had been able to get away from the situation these last two weeks. The only place where I could stop thinking about soulmates and the trouble they caused. And now my soulmate and the impostor were in there. Kissing. As if nothing else in the world mattered. My mind didn't even register I was crying until I felt the hot tears trail down to my neck. Dolores' eyes met mine as they kissed, the look in them almost sinister and definitely cruel and full of pride. I couldn't take it. I couldn't stand there and watch any longer so I turned and ran. Ran like my life depended on it. My chest hurt so much, like my soul was fighting with itself on whether to break apart or force me back to the gardens and tell him this was all a lie. Being so wrapped up in my internal debate and running I almost toppled right into one of the poor maids. Skidding to a stop I could see her jump slightly out of shock.

      "O-oh my goodness I am so so so sorry... I shouldn't have been running in the halls and I didn't mean to startle you, I... is there anything I can-"

            "Hey, slow down, it's alright just take a deep breath." The maid stopped my rambling with a steady and calm voice. "What's got you all worked up dear? I don't believe you're crying because you scared me." 

     "I..." My eyes shifted to the side. "It's nothing important really." I finished giving her the best smile I could manage.

             "Oh hon, you can't fool me that easily... but if you don't want to talk about it right now I won't push you, after all I don't think we've even been properly introduced yet. My name is Hops, yeah I know, not very creative for a bunny monster but I'll live." A soft giggle escaped my lips before I could stop it.

     "I'm Liliana, it's nice to meet you." I glanced over her. She wore the typical uniform that all the maids did, black dress with a white apron over top and black shoes. A black ribbon was tied around her head and her fur was a tannish brown color. Her eyes were soft and full of kindness, the almost black tone having tints of purple buried in it.

         "Alright, well then now that we're introduced why don't we go get you fixed up. A hot bath and good cup of cocoa will do you wonders. What do you say?" She offered, extending her hand out to me.

       "...yeah, that sounds nice." I nodded wiping my eyes with the back of my hand while using my other to take hers. 


	21. Friendship

Liliana's P/V:

      Hops and I talked about the most mundane things, the steam from the bath and hot cocoa swirling around us and filling the room. It was actually quite enjoyable, my worries melting away while talking to the caring maid. My back remained firmly pressed against the tub's edge the entire time to avoid risking her seeing my mark. Laughs filled the air as we chatted and she began to fold some laundry while we interacted. 

             "So, do you mind if I ask you a question Liliana?" Hops inquired as I set my now empty mug to the side. 

     "Well... you kinda just did." I replied smugly, casting her a glance.

               "This is serious dork!" Hops huffed to cover up the few giggles trying to escape. I laughed giving her a quick nod of permission. "Ok, is your soulmate mark on your back?" The bunny monster must have noticed my worry because she quickly continued. "Sorry if that was a bit too personal... it's just you've been very conscious about hiding your back the entire time we've been in here so I just had a feeling."

     "I... yeah, it is." I nodded with a sign, leaning my head back against the rim of the tub. "And it's bringing me nothing but trouble."

                "That's why you were crying when we first met, isn't it?" Another nod, this time in silent confirmation. "I hope I'm not being too blunt... but can I see it?" My eyes locked onto hers while a new found silence settled in the room. I.. I couldn't being myself to lie or deny her, after all she had been so kind to me.

     "On one condition." My sudden sentence made Hops stand in attention. "You cannot tell anyone about it or show any signs of knowledge about it, not yet anyway. Can you promise me this?" My voice somewhat betrayed me in desperation. I wanted so badly to have someone to talk to about this with, and at this point the only person who knew was Gaster and I doubt he would be the most in tune with my feelings. Hops stood in shock for a minute before a caring smile formed on her face.

                "Of course, it is your mark after all, that is the least I can do." Relief washed over to me and I smiled back, scooting forward in the tub slightly and leaning forward, resting my body against my now drawn up knees. Hops glanced at me once more in case I would change my mind before walking around and looking at my back in shock. I'm certain it was shock, or at least something along those lines because I heard her gasp. "You.... you're an artisan." She breathed out after a few minutes. 

       "Yep... but I'm sure that's not all your surprised about." I said anxiously while rubbing the back of my head.

                   "You are Papyrus' soulmate." Hops added kneeling down at the side of the tub by me. I perked up in surprise, turning and looking at her fully. 

       "You sound so certain..." I said confused.

                    "Of course, your mark makes it obvious, and it explains why you were so distressed over it, with the appearance of Lady Dolores and all." I sunk slightly at the mention of the other soulmate. "...do you doubt this? That you are meant for him?"

        "I... it's just with what I've seen of them together.... and how me and Papyrus act around each other they do seem like a better match..." I admitted before I felt two firm paws on my shoulders.

                      "Tell me everything, from the beginning." Hops said, and I could have sworn I saw a spark of determination in her eyes. With a deep breath I began with the day we met...

\-----------------------

Papyrus' P/V:

      "..pap.....papyrus......Papyrus..... PAPYRUS!!" I jolted at Sans' yelling. Casting my eyes down towards him he had his hands firmly on his hips and was giving me a disapproving glare. "You weren't even listening to me were you?!" He accused.

            "Heh, guess not," I shrugged. "Just got a lot goin' through my mind bro." 

    "Hmph, I'll let it slide this time, after all you must be still elated from meeting your soulmate and getting prepared for the wedding Father is arranging." Sans reasoned as he turned forward and walked with purpose again. I began to follow next to him with long strides, tilting my head back and looking up towards the ceiling as I stuffed my hands into my pockets.

            "Yeah... soulmate...." I sighed rubbing a hand down my face. "..bro... can I talk to you about something?" 

    "Hmm? Why of course, what sort of magnificent older brother would I be if you could not come to me for expert advice?" He replied, putting a hand to his chest dramatically making me chuckle softly.

             "Well... how do I put this...." I grumbled, stopping in my tracks and rubbing the back of my neck. Sans stopped too, looking back at me. He put a hand on my arm encouragingly, waiting for me to finish my thought. "I... I'm not completely convinced that Dolores is my soulmate, ya know?" Sans was utterly surprised and confused, taking a step back before crossing his arms.

      "No, I do not know brother, do elaborate." 

             "I just, when I first met her I was so excited and happy but... I think that was only because I thought I was finally going to meet my soulmate yet, as time goes on.. I, I don't know, something isn't right. Spark was irritated when I introduced Dolores to him and gave me this... disgusted look. We even kissed earlier today and I didn't feel  _anything_." I huffed. "My mark hasn't even lit up once since we met... isn't that a sure sign that your meant for each other?.. I have this ache in my soul, like something isn't right, like this isn't how it's suppose to be."

      "Brother..." Sans said looking thoughtful, one hand on his chin and the other holding up that arm. "Has your mark ever glowed?"

              "...once. The night of the ball, after I complimented Liliana... but she's a blank so I figured it just meant my soulmate was somewhere in the building, right?" 

      "I think we should talk to Father about this." Sans said, our eyes locking. With a nod I began to lead the way, heading towards his office. 


	22. Awkward Conversations

Papyrus' P/V:

     Sans managed to beat me to Dad's office, giving a polite knock and waiting to be given permission. I, on the other hand, simply walked in and past the disapproving look my older brother was giving me. Dad glanced up from the papers, sprawled out in organized chaos, and over the thin metal rim of his glasses. 

          "Boys," He began while looking back at the sea of papers. "I was not expecting you, do you need something?" Sans crossed his arms and peaked at me from his peripheral vision, my eyes casting the same type of glance down towards him. 

       "... I wished to speak with you about my soulmate." I responded standing up straighter. He gave a slight nod in recognition, prompting me to continue. "I was discussing with Sans and..... well, I'm not entirely convinced Dolores is the one..." Father's writing stopped, an unsettling silence coating the room.

           "She's has the mark, does she not? Isn't that all the proof you need?" Gaster asked as he put his glasses to the side and made full eye contact with me. He had that look in his sockets, one of curiosity and intrigue, whether that is good or bad it's always hard to tell. 

    "She does have a mark yes, so if does look like she's the one, but, it doesn't _feel_ like she's the one." I tried to explain. "With soulmates you're suppose to feel something, even when you don't realize it yet, but no matter what there is nothing between me and Dolores. The only time my mark has ever glowed was on the night that I complimented Liliana, I feel more towards her as a blank than to the woman that arrived carrying my mark!" I finished exasperated. Father perked up at my explanation, a smile spreading across his face before he started to chuckle.

               "From your explanation I see you've made a lot of progress my boy and I can rest easier knowing my suspicions were correct." W.D. interlaced his hands together in front of himself while resting his elbows on the table. Sans and I shared confused faces before turning to our ever weird father for clarification. "From the moment Dolores arrived I had my suspicions about her. I was almost certain she was not your soulmate, but I needed you to give her an honest shot to be able to firmly conclude that without raising alarm. I also found her arrival timing to be quite coincidental, after all we are just recovering from the death of Lady Katherine which would make us more emotional unstable."

         "But how would she know about that event? It's not public knowledge." Sans questioned. 

                   "True, but we have found evidence that it was not an accidental fire as you both know and I believe not only were we a target from that, but also Miss Liliana."

       "Why would someone be targeting Liliana? Because she's a blank?" I now asked.

                    "No, for quite the opposite reason my boy." Gaster said leaning forward, only to be once again be greeted by confusion on my skull. "Think about it, your mark has only glowed around Liliana and you no doubt feel an overwhelming sense of calm around her, opening up to her more quickly that most. Do you really think she is simply a blank?"

       "....are you trying to tell me that not only does Liliana have a mark, but she is also my soulmate?" I crossed my arms somewhat skeptically. There was no way that was the case, after all she had been so gosh darn annoying and insulting. Although she had been growing on me an increasing amount.  _'The way she looked at the ball too and the feeling when we danced perfectly was like-'_ shaking the thought from my mind I could see Father looking up at me with one of his all knowing smirks. 

                      "I think that is a conversation that you and Liliana need to have yourselves." Was Gaster's only reply as he leaned back in his chair.

       "That's really the only answer you're going to give me, isn't it?" I groaned-already knowing the answer-as I stood up. "Fine then, I'll go find her.... hey Sans, could you do me a solid and keep Dolores occupied? I'd really rather her not interrupt our conversation."

               "Considering the situation, I will allow myself to do this for you brother." Sans agreed. "I shall keep this matter expertly hidden from her and permit you the time you need." He said valiantly, planting his hands firmly on his hips. With a small smirk I glanced back over to my father, who gave the slightest nod, before heading out of his study.

Liliana's P/V:

     My footsteps echoed softly through the halls as I made my way back towards my room. Hops had been very understanding and kind as she listened intently, giving a comforting smile or pat on the arm whenever I had to stop for a minute. She told me to follow my instincts and tell him only when I felt ready or the right time came up. Her encouraging words repeated through my head and brought a gentle smile to my face.

            "Liliana!" Glancing over my shoulder I saw the keeper of that voice, the same boy I had just spent over an hour talking about. Papyrus quickly caught up to me with his bounding steps and long legs. I folded my hands in front of me, giving a slightly more strained smile up at him. 

     _'Don't think about the kiss, don't think about the kiss, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't, don't, don't.'_  I chanted in my mind, trying to keep it clear. "Good afternoon Lord Papyrus, what can I do for you?" He seemed to pause for a minute, startled by my suddenly formal address to him.

            "Liliana." Papyrus begun again, his posture straight and firm. "I just came from talking to my father and I had something to ask you." 

     "Oh?" I replied curious and somewhat anxious.

             "Do you.....are you my soulmate?" His question made my world freeze while my heartbeat picked up pace and became the only sound I could hear. 

      _'W-what? Where did this come from?! He was talking to Gaster.. but didn't he say to keep it secret for now?! But, what does he expect me to do? What should I do? How do I respond to that!'_ My mind whirled with questions and my head felt too light, my legs wobbling underneath me until they buckled completed. Papyrus grabbed onto me before I even realized what just happened. 

             "Geez.... falling for me already?" Papyrus said with a laugh though there was definitely some worry behind it, whether for my lack of answer or falling I'm not entirely sure. I was silent for a minute as I looked up to him before I couldn't help but laugh. Laugh from the pun. Laugh from my overwhelming emotions. Laugh because I had once again gotten myself into a weird and emotional situation with this tall skeleton. 

           "If I'm going  _tibia_  honest..." I started, taking a deep breath and catching Papyrus' undivided attention. "We are soulmates."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about dang time Papyrus.


	23. A Much Needed Discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> flashback time!

Liliana's P/V:

      Now sitting in 'my' room across from Papyrus an anxious silence filled the air while I tried to regain my composure and strength after the earlier fiasco. 

        "So.... can I see your mark?" Papyrus asked, obviously eager to get more information and continue. He sat on the edge of his seat, his hands gripping the cushion. A laugh escaped me as I saw his eagerness, like a child getting a present. 

              "First may I see yours?" I asked. None had ever seen his mark, other than presumably Sans and Gaster, and if I was honest I was equally curious as about his as he was about mine. He seemed slightly taken back before nodding. Unbuttoning the top few buttons and pulling the collar of his shirt down his mark sat on his right collar bone. Papyrus was a spot, the most common soulmate mark to have and not always the most discernible. Slowly getting up from my seat I keeled in front of him, getting a closer look at his mark while not missing how his eyes were trained on me. 3 orange tiger lilys, just like the ones on my back, surrounding and slightly encasing a outline of a heart. My eyes lifted up to meet his and I gave a soft smile. He returned it with a somewhat hesitant smile before buttoning his shirt back up as I stood. 

         "Ya know, I have one more question that's been burning in my head. If you have a soulmate mark, why hide it? And don't try to lie or say something like 'it wasn't a big deal' because I know you didn't have it easy pretendin' to be a blank." Papyrus said resting his elbow on his knee and putting his skull down in his hand. My blood ran cold, fist tightening around the fabric of my dress. With a steady and shaking breath I plopped back down into my seat across from him, keeping my gaze fixed on my lap.

              "It's not exactly the best story... but seeing as how you've told me what you've dealt with in the past and being soulmates I guess it's only fair you get at least some sort of explanation." I reasoned rubbing the back of my head. "Well.. it started back in my home village when I was around 10 years old..."

.........

_My parents weren't the wealthiest people out there but we did live a good, comfortable life. Our house had around 6 bedrooms and a grand living room where we would all talk and enjoy each other. The gardens were by far my favorite part of the house, with giant hedges that stood like giants and arrays of flowers that would sway like dancing maidens._

_My family always knew I was an artisan and from an early age they explained what that would mean to me. That people would look up to me and see it as something important. Still, they taught me that the mark was not the only thing that was going to define me, that I needed to strive to deserve people's respect and admiration. They had confidence I could do that and that I would be able to help people with my kindness._

_The village we lived in was relatively small and close knit meaning we knew pretty much everyone and everyone knew us. Everyone quickly learned of my mark status as well and at first I believed that was a good thing. People were always kind to me, giving me gifts and showering me with praise, even though I was still a child who had done nothing._

_My feelings began to change when my younger brother was born._

_My brother was born when I was 6 years old. He was so small and fragile but so bright and full of life. His name was Lucas and he was born as a blank._

_My parents firmly believed in people being defined by their actions and personality rather than solely on their marks, but they also knew that others in the town would not view it that way, so they kept it hidden, never fully committing to a type of mark by insinuating that he had one for his safety._

_Somehow...they still found out._

_Lucas and I loved to play in the garden together ever since he could walk and I always did my best to keep him safe._

_One day I was invited to a gathering with other young girls around my age and my parents and I accepted. The party kept seeming to drag out, the sun setting which made me confused. My parents always came and got me while there was still light so that we could travel home before it got hard to see. When I asked the other adults if something was wrong they shrugged it off  and told me not to worry or that my parents said I could stay there for the night. They kept telling me I was safe now and how things would be perfect but it didn't feel right. My parents would have told me if I could stay and I was already safe, so why did they need to repeat it? At one point I finally was able slip away and dashed back home._

_The orange and yellow swirling hues, with their sickening golden light were the first things I was able to see._

_It's funny how your mind blocks out everything deemed unimportant when in a life or death situation. I didn't even notice that others standing around, watching as the house was eaten by the flames. I didn't hear their yells as I ran inside. I didn't feel the flames encircling me as I screamed for someone, anyone to answer._

_My mother who sung to me and taught me to make flower crowns._

_My father who taught me the importance of being kind and showing love._

_My little brother who still couldn't always talk properly._

_A figure pulled me out before I could go too far into the house, the hot tears dripping off my face and the burns sizzling as they hit the night air. Voices began to tell me this was for my own good. That my parents were wrong for protecting my brother. How this had to happen. That they would protect me and make sure I got what I deserved, all the good things in life while my family had deserved this fire. That they were in the right._

_Even when you're that young you are able to recognize dangers, villains and good guys._

_They were **not** in the right._

_They were the **villains**._

_They were **murders**._

_And I would **not**  let them have their way._

_I passed out from exhaustion in their grasps and it took weeks for my burns to heal. My body still has scars around my torso and thighs from where the worst burns were as a constant reminder of that night. They acted as if everything was alright, as if they hadn't taken my family away from me. I stayed till I was fully recovered, acting as if I was fine with it all and agreed with them._

_And then._

_I ran._

_..............._

     "I didn't immediately come to this town. Jumping from village to village a couple times and just training myself to get faster, stronger, better. Lady Katherine found me one time in between towns when I hadn't eaten for a couple days and let me stay with her for the time being and helping me get back on my feet. I could tell she was very kind and decided to help out around her house to repay her for her kindness. After some time I figured I might as well settle here for a little bit for ease and next thing I knew it had been years since me and Lady Katherine had first met and I had lived here." I leaned back, staring at the ceiling as I reminisced. "I kept my mark hidden and while I probably could have convinced people I was a text or a spot... I guess I wanted to take my brother's place in a way. Take on the burden he would have had and keep going for him, and my parents. Before you say it I know that I can't completely blame myself for what happened to them but I can't help but feel partially responsible for what happened that night." I sighed leaning forward and folding my hands in my lap. "I hoped something like that would never happen again with me.. because of me.... but then it simply repeated with Lady Katherine and I couldn't save her either...I just.... I suppose trouble follows me." I shook my head with a dry laugh.

        "...I guess we'll just have to fight off the trouble together then." Papyrus spoke up, placing a hand firmly on my shoulder causing me to look up at him in surprise. He had a real smile on his face. "You don't have to show me your mark yet, I believe you. And if I _ever_  find  _anyone_  involved in either incident, I promise I'll take care of them. Lady Katherine was my family too and anyone related to you is as good as related to me. So by hurting you they hurt me and that's the worst mistake they will have ever made. We're in this together Liliana. We are soulmates after all." With those words it felt as if a giant weight was lifted from my shoulders and for the first time in a long while.... 

I felt proud of my soulmate mark. 


	24. Family Trips

Liliana's P/V:

     A night of rest did me wonders. After our emotionally tolling discussion I had decided to simply go to bed for the night, with Papyrus making sure I had gotten back to my room alright. Honestly I couldn't help but laugh at how nervous he seemed, like I was going to suddenly pass out at any second and his hands hovering in the air. Each of us were still a bit unsure of how to act around each other and what we should be doing. I had managed to convince him to just relax and take it slow. There was no reason to jump into something we hadn't had time to think about, plus we still had a murder to solve which took priority and that would not help us be able think clearly. Papyrus and I walked side by side this morning, heading towards the dinning room for breakfast. No words were spoken and that was ok. The air held a new freshness and I felt lighter than ever now that my biggest secret could be shared with him easily now. 

        "Ya know, I really think rocks deserve more recognition..." Papyrus cut through the silence. I blinked, glancing up at him in confusion. "They always get taken for  _granite._ " He finished making eye contact with me. A completely unattractive snort broke free as I quickly covered the rest of my laughs with my hand.

                 "That was awful." I grinned, looking up at him completely now.

       "Hey, it got you laughing didn't it?" Papyrus winked. 

                  "Only because you managed to keep a straight face through out it." I shook my head, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

        "Well-"

                 "Papyrus! Good morning love!~" A singsong voice interrupted him before Papyrus was quickly captured in two furry arms. "You're going to be late for breakfast, come on, everyone's waiting lazybones!" Dolores smiled brightly up at him, before grabbing his hand and practically dragging him into the dinning room. I stood surprised for a moment before shaking it off and quickly following inside. Gaster sat at the head of the table, as usual, while Papyrus and Sans sat across from each other. Dolores sat next to Papyrus and kept in constant physical contact with him while she ranted about something for the wedding, Papyrus simply nodding. I noticed he was a very good actor;  he seemed to be intently listening to her and I might have believed it, if it wasn't for the look his gave me when she was distracted. 

           _'Hang in there.'_ I quickly signed before taking a seat next to Sans. Breakfast started with Dolores continuing to talk and plan, Gaster occasionally giving an insightful comment or suggestion. 

                  "Now, before I forget, I have something to request of you four." Gaster said, his silverware clinking lightly as he set it down on his plate. The other conversation cut off as all our attention was focused on the eldest skeleton. "I would like us all to go out together today, somewhere with meaning to me."

               "I would be honored to Lord Gaster." Dolores instantly piped up. "Do you have a time in mind for our outing?" 

                    "As soon as we are all finished with breakfast and ready to go." 

        "I'm guessing I don't have of a choice in the matter." Papyrus sighed, rubbing the back of his skull. "As long as there isn't too much walking involved then I'm down."

              "Of course father." Sans answered respectfully. Gaster made eye contact with me for a second and I nodded.

                "It's settled then." Gaster said standing up. "I will get the carriage and meet you all out front." Once the doors had shut after he left we all cast each other a look before standing up and quickly following out after him, curiousity evidently bubbling up in all of us.

.......

     Gaster gave us no hints on where we may be going. The ride was filled with quick, idle conversations and looks outside as we tried to see where we were going. My heart dropped into my stomach as we turned onto a familiar dirt road to the edge of the forest near town. Everything suddenly... felt so much colder. I couldn't stop picturing her the last night I saw her, and the flames.... they wouldn't stop they-

          A boney hand took mine and squeezed it reassuringly. Looking through the hair that had spilled over my shoulder I could see Sans giving me a small smile and a nod. My breathing was shaky as I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and squeezed back on his hand lightly. This seemed to please him as he went back to looking out of the carriage as it slowly rolled to a stop. As we all unloaded out of the vehicle I could see what remained of the small cottage. A few wooden support beams, colored black fromm the burns and smoke, and the base of the house; most everything else having turned to ash and either burned out or blowed away. I was glad Sans was still holding my hand and staying close otherwise I probably would have broken down at this point. Gaster and Papyrus looked on the scene as solemnly as Sans and I did, while Dolores looked at us like we were slightly crazy.

           "Why are we here? At a useless piece of rubbish near the forest?" She asked raising an eyebrow. I could see Papyrus' jaw tighten and Sans shook slightly beside me as he restrained from saying anything. Unfortunately, I wasn't as controlled.

           "It, is not, rubbish." I said through my teeth, glaring at her with hatred I couldn't stop. She glared right back at me, her eyes full of disgust. 

                 "This is where the house of one of my most trusted and closest friends once stood." Gaster stated calmly. "Her house caught fire and she died inside. We believe that this was no accident though and was meant to target Liliana."

       "But how would you-"

               "And we further believe that you were a part of this crime." Gaster added before she could finish. Her face filled with shock and fear, fists clenching at her sides.

       "Y-you can't be serious..." She said taking a step back.

              "I am completely serious Miss Dolores." He said, bones encircling and trapping the monster before she could get any further. "And I am placing you under arrest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK SO SOMETHING REALLY EXCITING HAPPENED. I GOT FANART.
> 
> It's made by @_Paraga_ and it is a picture of both Liliana and Papyrus' soulmate marks
> 
> Here's the URL for the picture and you should definitely check it out!! https://www.wattpad.com/545143394-art-book-thing-artisan
> 
> Thank you so much for this amazing artwork!!
> 
>  
> 
> -  
> On a less happy and exciting note I think college may kill me.


	25. Interrogation and Communication

Gaster P/V:

     While Dolores did not resist per say, she did heavily play on the innocent card. She even pulled out the water works to try and convince us that she "had done no wrong" and of her "true love for Papyrus". Of course, that wore off rather quickly within the first 12 hours of confinement once she realized she would not be released and we were not as naive as she seemed to believe. Staring at the bear monster from across the table her eyes were shut and her head turned from me. 

     "Ignoring the situation is not going to improve it, despite what you might believe." I hummed, pushing my glasses firmly against my face. 

           "No matter what I do or say my situation isn't going to change, so silence is my best option." Dolores scoffed. 

     "I suppose so. You will be imprisoned for a false mark and assisting in the murder of Lady Katherine."

            "You have no proof of either!" Dolores yelled, slamming her hands on the table.

     "Actually," My eyelights shifted to violet. "We know who his true soulmate is, confirming that you created a false mark." Dolores' face shifted to more uncertain and anxious. "And know that you just so happened to come when we were emotionally distraught with the death of Lady Katherine." The chair skidded slightly as I sharply pulled down on Dolores' soul, forcing her to sit. 

            "T-that's just coincidental timing!" Dolored countered. "Besides, who else could be his soulmate?.... you don't mean... you think that filthy blank is his soulmate don't you?! I don't know what lies that  _thing_  told you but she is worth nothing! I deserve to be with Papyrus, to live in that grand house, and to have ownership of a region! All that freak is deserving of is  _death_ , her kind is a plague!" The chair snapped from underneath Dolores and she yelped as she fell onto the ground. The pressure on her soul had increased and despite her obvious displeasure I did not care to lighten up one bit.

       "If you are going to speak it is to answer my questions." I growled standing up slowly. "You would hold your tongue regarding any of your wayward thoughts concerning my family or I will make your punishment slow and painful." Fear shown clearly in her eyes as I stalked over and towered over her form. "You are going to tell me everything you know regarding those events and your associates," Her jaw opened to protest. " ** _N. O. W._**  For I will find out one way or another, and you will not like how." Her mouth shut closed, fists clenching before she glared back up at me, still shaking in place. Then, she opened her mouth and began to explain.

.........................

Liliana's P/V:

     I paced back and forth in my room, spinning on one heel, taking ten steps and then starting again. Gaster had been dealing with Dolores for quite a while now with no new information, or at the very least he wasn't sharing it with us. 

       "Lady Liliana?" I nearly jumped out of my skin, twirling around to see Sans standing in my doorway. "I did try knocking but you weren't answering, so I decided to come in to make sure you were alright."

      "Oh, yes, sorry to worry you." I shifted from foot to foot and rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly.

         "It is a lot to think about isn't it, all these events so quickly. Though I am here if you need someone to talk to and give you expertly advice!" Sans grinned, putting a hand to his chest and letting his bandanna flow in the nonexistent wind. 

      "Thank you," I smiled and relaxed. "That is very considerate of you."

           "Well of course! I am quite the gentleman, and ever more so for the true soulmate of my brother!" And all the tension from earlier came back full force. "Really human, you should not seem so surprised. After-all, Papyrus is my younger brother and we trust each other with everything. In fact, I would be greatly ticked off if he hadn't told me." Sans huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head. "However, he also insisted on keeping this matter silent for the time being so you can trust me to keep it a secret. Know though that if you ever need anything you don't need to hesitate in asking me, ok?" The shortest skeleton grinned, hands firmly landing on my shoulders. 

      "....ok...." I nodded slowly. 

              "Wonderful!" Sans seemed to simply be beaming. "Now, come on there is no point to you staying hidden in here, worrying your mind away, when you could be using that energy for something productive." Taking a step back he offered a gloved hand, an expectant look on his face. Letting out a half-hearted sigh I softly took his hand, letting him drag me out through the growingly familiar halls of the skeleton mansion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the format came out a bit weird, I'm posting this from mobile ':3


	26. Prepared to Fight

Papyrus' P/V:

      I nearly _jumped out of my skin_ as I heard a chorus of crashes from the kitchen. Sliding through the dinning room I peeked into the kitchen, whipping my hand over my mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. Flour and dough was everywhere, even the ceiling. Liliana and Sans sat on the ground, both covered in ingredients and surrounded by pots and pans. Liliana was laughing hysterically and lying on her back while Sans looked annoyed and began furiously picking back up the utensils. 

           "You two doing alright?" I asked raising an eyebrow as I leaned against the door frame. 

       "We are perfectly fine." Sans replied instantly. "Though you could make yourself useful and help clean the kitchen." 

            "Not sure that's fair bro..." I snickered, offering my hand to Liliana. "After all I'm not the one who made this mess." Sans whipped around, hand up, ready to start giving me a lecture.

                  "He has a good point Sans." Liliana interrupted before he could begin. She smoothed out her skirt and tried to whip off some of the flour. "But if we follow that logic with the cleaning then it also means you don't get any of the cookies since you didn't help make them." She smirked, crossing her arms and looking at me smugly. 

      "That's right!" Sans said with a laugh turning back around and putting away the pots. I rolled my eyes and gave Liliana a look as she simply shrugged and got to helping him.

           "What type of cookies we talkin' about?" I played along, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

                     "Mostly chocolate chip...." Liliana answered, beginning to whip down the counters. "but we also tried out a new recipe for honey cookies." That peaked my interest and I knew she saw it by the glance she cast my way. Shaking my head with a sigh a small smirk formed on my face.

           "How 'bout this, I'll clean the dough off the ceiling and put the clean dishes away. That seem fair to you both?"

                        "Sounds good." Liliana nodded and Sans nodded with a huff. With a stretch of my arm my eye began to glow as I got to work.

.....

Liliana's P/V:

     Swinging my hand over my mouth I tried desperately to regulate my breathing, my laughs coming out as a mix of wheezes, gasps, and choking on cookies.

         "PAPYRUS!! That was absolutely horrible!!" Sans yelled, standing up in his chair and banging his foot down. "Why must you plague us with your horrible jokes?! Can't we eat in peace for once!" He huffed, crossing his arms and plopping back down into his seat. A tray filled with cookies sat in the center of the table as we all grabbed however many we wanted and enjoyed them with our milk. 

              "Aw, come on bro that one wasn't even that bad." Papyrus snickered, sending me a wink as he leaned back in his chair. 

          "I am warning you brother, I will-"

                  "Ah, so this is where you all ran off to." Gaster's entrance cut Sans off. "I had started at each of your rooms but upon hearing the ruckus I figured you all must be this way." He continued, grabbing one of the sweets as he walked past and sat at the head of the table. "I have gotten some information from Dolores in regards to her accomplices' whereabouts. It would appear they are hiding out in a building somewhat near the outskirts of town. There plan was indeed to convince us that she was Papyrus' soulmate in order to gain control of wealth and part of the town." Everyone leaned forward as Gaster explained the information he had gathered, not wanting to miss a single word. "As it would happen, they were unaware of our connection to Lady Katherine, simply believing that since it was someplace they had witnessed Liliana going, it would have a good chance of being her end should they destroy it." 

           "So Liliana was their target." Papyrus all but growled. 

                  "Yes, they had planned it the night of the ball because of all the attention that was going to be focused on the mansion and preparation. They had no expectations that we would have invited her. I am gathering together a party to go and search the hideout of these scoundrels. We will be confronting them in about three days time in order to try and gather more information before we leave, such as how many people were working with her and the exact location of the building." 

             "I'm coming with." Papyrus said firmly, standing up.

                   "Me too!" Sans jumped to his feet, slamming his hands on the table. 

               "I wouldn't expect anything less from my sons." Gaster chuckled, slowly rising. Taking a deep breath I stood up as well.

          "It seems this is going to become a family bonding experience then, because I'm coming too." I sighed. All three skeletons whipped around to me, surprised expressions plastered on their faces. "What? You don't honestly expect me to sit by and watch idly do you? They killed a member of my family, attempted to murder me, and where planning to trick my soulmate in one of the largest ways possible. There is no way I'm just going to sit here while you all go and confront them. Whether you skeletons like it or not I am linked to Papyrus, so as far as I see it I'm tied to you two as well making us family and I am done letting my families lives be risked while I sit helplessly." I explained, determination shinning in my eyes. 

                 "I suppose we will need to get you a weapon and a proper outfit then." Gaster nodded with the ghost of a smirk. 

               "You can't be serious!" Papyrus intervened, glancing at his father before locking eyes with me. Worry and anxiety bubbled in his eyelights as he stared at me, desperately wanting me to reconsider. With a soft smile I reached over and placed my hand over his. 

           "It'll be alright, I am tougher than I may look and have my fair share of scars to prove it... please, have faith in me." I petitioned gently. He stood straighter for a second before his hand lifted up and intertwined with mine. Rubbing the back of his neck he gave a shaky smile and my own smile grew in turn, squeezing his hand gently to reassure him. Turning to Gaster and Sans they both had smug smirks making me shake my head at them. "Looks like we're in this together then."

                   "Always." Papyrus affirmed, rubbing his thumb over my hand. 


	27. A Knot in the Plan

Liliana's P/V:

     The past few days had been...intense. As soon as I had told the skeletons I was accompanying them, they had me tailored for a more battle ready outfit and had certain pieces of armor adjusted to fit me (which was a bit overboard in my opinion). Sans had me training with him in any moment we were both free to make sure I was properly ready, and Papyrus had asked more than once if I was still certain about going with them. Gaster had gone over with us and the guards he had coming the plan, making sure everyone knew what their role was and where to go if they got too heavily injured. Tomorrow was going to be the last day before the attack. We were going to be finishing preparations, making sure everyone was ready, and despite my nerves I had finally gotten to sleep. That is until I heard something break in my room, a muttered string of curses following suit. My eyes shot open as I tried to keep myself from moving, listening to pinpoint where the intruder was. A hand clasped down on my shoulder and on instinct swung my arm around to plant a punch square on the intruder's face. Based on the sickening crack that emitted from the hit and the way they stumbled back, I'd say I hit them pretty hard. 

     "Why you-" The intruder growled out, holding a hand up to their now bleeding face.

            "Take another step and I won't hold back." I replied harshly, throwing my covers to the side as I stood up to face them. The intruder laughed, whipping his hand off on his pants before cracking his knuckles.

      "....sorry doll, but I have job to do." His teeth shone in the low moonlight coming in from the windows. 

        "So be it." I glared through clenched teeth. The attacker was dumb enough to charge straight at me in a sad attempt to tackle me; allowing me to knee him in the stomach with both the force of my leg and his run. Doubling over he grabbed his mid-section and his eyes shone with anger as a static-like energy filled the room.  _Magic._ Muttering a curse I ran around to the back of him as attacks strung up behind my steps. He spun around to face me again, the light fully shinning on him as I used my arms to block another wave of attacks. The force opened the glass doors behind me, likely how the perpetrator had entered in the first place. Taking a step back onto the cool concrete of the balcony, I swung at him once more which he caught quite smugly. Swinging my leg around he was forced to let me go in order to block the hit. With a huff he sent another string of attacks at me before landing a punch. As I stumbled back I could feel myself hit the edge of the balcony railing, but the momentum kept me moving. My bare feet scrapped across the floor, looking for any sort of purchase and traction as they began to slip off. Now was another one of those moments where adrenaline blocked out any sounds, any logical thought, any unnecessary senses. My heart even momentarily forgot how to work, the beating now rapidly filling my ears as I fell through the air, reaching my arm up in an all too late attempt to grab onto something.

           "p...papyrus..." I whispered out my eyes widening before there was a sharp pain and everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK YES I KNOW THIS IS SHORT I AM SORRY BUT I COULDN'T HELP ENDING IT HERE


	28. Pain

Papyrus' P/V:

     I woke up with a jolt, hand tightly gripping the fabric of my shirt where my soul would be. Waking up in the middle of the night wasn't all that strange-except I was certain I didn't have any nightmares tonight. My soulmate mark glowed brightly bringing my attention to it while I dragged the collar of my shirt down before a sharp pain struck my spine causing me to inhale quickly; my jaw clenching as my head rung. After a second the glowing faded and the pain stopped, giving me just enough information to piece the strange occurrence together. Throwing my covers aside I growled as my magic sparked to life in my eye socket and the familiar feeling of the void covered me. Skidding to a stop from the sudden teleport to Liliana's room, I didn't bother to knock as I swung the door open... The covers had been thrown to the side and a couple items from her vanity had been knocked down. Cool air from outside wrapped around my bones as I saw the doors to the balcony left swung wide open. Leaning over the edge I scanned the wooden area in front of me and my breathing stopped as I noticed the ground near where the balcony dropped. Footsteps. Footsteps and  _blood_. 

    "Spark!" I yelled firmly as I summoned the blaster. As he appeared his gaze followed mine and he growled deeply as he fed off my emotions. "Don't show yourself and  _find her_." Spark charged off at the order, quickly disappearing from view in the dense forest but I could still track his magic. My hands clenched around the railing of the balcony, scrapping into the stone as my breathing went ragged and the smoke-like magic whisked around my skull. Shoving my self away from the ledge I stomped back inside, clenching and unclenching my fists; trying to keep my thinking somewhat logical. As much as I wanted to teleport to Spark and look for her myself I didn't know what I would be going up against and it would only further alarm the others. With that thought I swung my brother's door open, throwing a bone attack to bounce off his head and make sure he's up before continuing towards my father's office.

     "Ow.... WHAT THE HEL-....." Sans bounded after me, presumably stopping once he saw the way my magic was acting. "Brother...." He said significantly softer, placing a hand on my shoulder which I quickly shrugged off. Sending a glare his way I noticed the worried expression on his face and mine eased in return. Giving a small sigh I sent a ghost of a smile to him before entering the office. Dad was, of course, staying up to finish preparing and going over town matters. Noticing the sudden shift of magical energy his eyes met mine instantly as he put down what he was going over. 

      "I need to speak with Dolores,  _immediately_. We have some unfinished business to discuss." I growled out the last few words, slamming my hand down firmly on mt father's desk. "They took Liliana. I have no doubt about it." I clarified before either curious family member could interject. Gaster nodded before leading the way to the dungeon wordlessly. Both were courteous enough to stop far enough from her cell to give us some space, though smart enough to not leave us alone with me in this state. My eyelights returned to their usual white as I looked down at her. "Where is she." I hissed through my teeth as she looked up at me sweetly. 

     "Oh, why I can't say I know for sure." She batted her eyelashes up at me while tapping a finger to her chin. "I could easily get you that information though... if you were to promise me something love~" Dolores grinned as she stood up, walking gracefully up to the barred door in from to of me. "If you promise to marry me instead I can get you her whereabouts and make sure no harm comes to her." Her smirk showed how confident she was that she had won. My eyelights extinguished leaving blank eyesockets as I started laughing hysterically causing her to take a few steps back. My previous red-orange eyelight came back full force as the magic swirled menacingly around my skull. 

      "I'm afraid you don't seem to realize the situation you're in....why don't we fix that  _love_." My grin widened as she tripped backwards, her eyes filling with fear as she watched me open the cell door and step inside. 


	29. A Reason to Hope

Liliana's P/V:

     Pain pounded through my head and radiated down my neck, through my throat, leaving a weird tingly feeling whenever it subsided for a second. Other feelings began swarming my senses as I began to wake up, blinking my eyes open in an attempt to piece the puzzle together. My hair stuck to the back of my head and I could feel something dried, thick sticking my hair together and trailing down my neck to my shoulders. My feet were firmly on the ground and I had to be sitting in a chair, but my arms ached from being twisted behind the frame of the seat. They burned from the rope as I tried to pull them back in front of me. It was so bright as I tried to focus once more, shaking my head and trying to focus on anything but my pounding headache and the black that momentarily covered my vision as a threat to fall back into slumber. Whispers cut through the ringing as I noticed the figure occupying the room with me.

     "Looks like sleeping beauty finally decided to join us." A sickening voice taunted with a laugh. A hand gripped my hair close to the scalp and pulled back, causing me to let out a yelp. Something warm began trickling down my head and neck, followed the dried path from earlier and it finally clicked what it was.  _Blood_. I must have hit my head hard when I fell from the balcony and from the soreness in my back it had also taken a good blow. Looking at my captor my vision finally focused in on the monster. He seemed to be a hybrid. A mix between a goop or slime type monster mixed with an elemental... perhaps a flame elemental from the way his hair shifted and flickered like a flame but it was hard to tell considering his skin was entirely black and resembled goop more. Pieces of his seemed to drip off and stained my clothes, some no doubt would be clumped into my hair from his grip. His clothes seemed slightly tattered and a logo stood out among the dark fabrics... it looked like a family crest, or perhaps an organization's insignia? "I guess it's only fair I tell you my name since I already know yours Miss Liliana.... my name is Phobus." Opening my mouth I quickly shut it, grinding my teeth. Asking 'where am I' most certainly wasn't going to get me far; considering the fact I was tied to a chair. 

     "What do you want?" I croaked out, now noticing the bitter dryness of my throat. Not a very original question but my mind wasn't working at it's finest right now. 

     "Simply..." The monster hummed in thought, tossing my head back as his released his grip. "Free reign. We didn't work with Dolores because we're friends or any of that sentimental crap, we have an arrangement. In exchange for helping her land a marriage with Lord Papyrus she would allow us to operate within the village. Really though, you are more determined than I would have originally anticipated." Phobus chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "When Dolores first brought you up I figured she was simply being jealous since you had been gaining so much attention recently. Nevertheless, I sent one of my men after you to go ahead and send you off for some cash. Even getting hit right in the back you managed to keep on going. Then, tonight when I ordered another after you, you managed to land a heck of a punch on him and dodge enough to get onto the balcony.... of course you lose points for falling off so roughly." He smirked, patting my cheek. My mind raced to catch up, trying to connect all the pieces together. The symbol on his jacket no doubt belonged to some sort of gang if he was worried about being able to...  _operate_. 

     "Despite it being entertaining to see how far your determination was going to get you I'm afraid this is where the game ends... While I will be guaranteeing your safety to the Lords as a bargaining chip I can't give you much consonances after than. People are willing to pay a surprising amount for beauties such as yourself and after all this trouble, I think we rather deserve a bit of gold out of it." Phobus shrugged. Twisting my wrists, the ropes wouldn't budge, simply giving me rope burns as I tried to find a weak spot in them or the knot. My heart began picking up speed as fear began to truly invade my system for the first time in a while. An odd feeling filled my back before traveling towards my soul, leaving me to stare down at my chest confused for a moment before it happened again, and again. The feeling becoming firmly settled in my soul. 

     _'Papyrus...'_  my mind finally associated the feeling to my mark and I couldn't help the relief that spread through my system. They were coming. "..heh, you really are idiots." I couldn't help but chuckle as I shook my head. That seemed to grab his attention as he spun around to face me once again as I sat up straight, my head high. "The Lords are  _not_ fools. They would find out your lies quickly, and even if Dolores got married to Papyrus before they were able to see through them they would never allow scum like you to parade free through the city." My eyes narrowed into a glare. "I'm not afraid and I will for sure see all of you put in prison."

      "Strong words." Phobus scoffed. "Especially for someone tied to a chair. What can  _you_  do to stop me, hmm? You are simply a pathetic human who failed to stop the fire at that old witch's house." 

       "..you're right, I am just a human, and I have not been able to protect my family in the past. But, I am full of Determination and HoPe, and you'd be surprised how far that can get you in life." I chuckled leaning closer to his face as he growled at me. "....besides." My grin grew as I could feel my mark begin to glow. "I'm not alone. And my family has one hell of a temper."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we are almost caught up to what I have written out already so.... updates might be a bit spottier after the next chapter?... Sorry ':/ school likes to suck up my time...
> 
> Bbbuutttt, on a side note, Fun fact! The name of our newest story member, Phobus means fear!


	30. Inner Strength

Liliana's P/V:

      Phobus sneered, rolling his eyes as he turned away. 

     "As if I'm concerned about those blundering skeletons." He dismissed with a wave.

       "I'm calling your bluff Phobus." I said, sitting up taller in my chair. "If you truly had no concerns about the skeleton trio then you wouldn't have bothered making an arrangement with Dolores. You would have simply have taken over, but you didn't. You tried to devise a scheme to work around them from the shadows. You know as well as I do of the stories surrounding the skeleton household and their strength when together." 

     "Come now dear, you're forgetting one important factor. The trump card that lay at my side in this banter of ours today." Phobus piped up. "I have you don't I? They wouldn't dare risk you and your safety so they're going to give Dolores, and ultimately me, exactly what I want. Who knows?" He chuckled softly. "It may help me dust them tonight if they are foolish enough to face me." My mark felt like it was fizzling and popping; it was similar to when a magic was infused in the air from an attack. 

      "Listen here bub, and listen good." I growled, glaring daggers as I leaned forward in my chair. The ropes cut into my wrists as I shifted but I ignored it, my blood practically boiling as it pumped through my veils. "I have been running my whole life and I'll be damned if I let some power searching punk ruin my life after I've finally found a family again. So, I'll give you two options and maybe-just maybe- if you have a lick of sense in you, you'll make the right choice. You can either let me go right now and we can do this the easy way. Or, you could continue on the path you are now and be on the receiving end of multiple people's wrath. Because I can guarantee you, I will not allow anyone to hurt my family, no matter the cost on my end." Phobus stared at my blankly for a second before he began chuckling and fun on laughing.

     "You really don't learn anything do you?" He grinned sharply, pinching my chin between his thumb and index finger. "You're pathetic attempts to scare me or reason with me are going to get you nowhere human."

     "Fine then." I splat coldly. "Have it your way." Phobus seemed satisfied with my answer, all the way up until I kicked him in the stomach and using it to push myself back. He groaned, or perhaps growled, as the back of my chair hit the floor. Using my arms and elbows to raise myself up from the chair and pulling my legs back I kicked the chair away from me before shifting up onto my feet. 

      "Would you look at that, you're not a complete idiot after all." Phobus cooed, amused as he stepped closer. "You're still a light weight though." 

      "I wouldn't say that." I smirked, stepping out of the way of his first strike, kicking him in the shins instead. Phobus faltered for a second as he went to his knees. "I've been a few fights through my lifetime." Going to kick him again as he slid to the side, using his momentum to jump and grab my neck. Falling backwards-again- and hitting my head- _again_ \- my vision blacked out for a second as my ears began to ring. As it began to clear all I could see was the grinning madman above me, pupils shaking with excitement, my heartbeat and shallow breathing filling my hearing. My mark began to almost burn, shooting an ache directly to my soul.

     "Perhaps I don't really need you alive... after all, how would they know any different until I've already gained what I require?" Phobus' grin became wider as he laughed. 

     _'Papyrus.... I don't know what to do.... help please....'_ I could feel tears begin to slide across my face as my lungs began to burn. The ache in my soul became pain and as I glanced down I could see swirls of orange magic over my chest where my soul would lay. Phobus seemed to notice it too as his eyes cast now there and grip loosened ever so slightly. My hands began to feel the same spark and tingle as my mark had to begin with and a peak over there showed that they were surrounded in the same magic. With a new, fierce glare to Phobus I focused on the feeling of the magic. "Get...off..." I chocked out, using one hand to pull his off of me before swiping my other hand out. Bones sprouted from the ground around me, forcing Phobus back while I pushed myself up. His look of shock turned into one of anger as he stalked closer again and I repeated the same trick; this time the bones flying through the air at him. He dodge them easily as he came closer and closer, my back hitting the wall.

      "Look what we have here..." A third voice caught our attention. I looked up in relief while Phobus reeled around to the new arrival. "Why, you're just looking for a bad time, aren't ya  _buddy._ " Papyrus' voice rumbled as he stepped inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we are just about at the finale of the Dolores arc! The entire story itself is getting closer to the end, though I do have a few more things planned and, of course, actually having Liliana show her mark.


	31. Stronger Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this we're all caught up to what I already have written... so yeah...

Liliana's P/V:

     Tears sprung free and slid down my face as I let out a relieved sob, reaching out for Papyrus as I turned to him. He was by my side within an instant, holding me close but was surprisingly gentle. 

     "You're late bonehead." I teased with a wet chuckle.

        "Didn't know I was on the clock darlin'..." Papyrus shook his head slightly as he pulled me closer. I wrapped my arms around him tighter, gripping onto him like a life line. He smelled like a fireplace with a slight hint of something sweet... I could feel him shift slightly as he looked over at Phobus who had gotten uncharacteristically quiet since Papyrus arrived. "Ya know, we as skeletons value honesty rather highly.... can't say we take too kindly to people trying to trick us or messing with our family."

     "As if I am concerned about what you consider is right and wrong. This simply makes my life easier as we cut you off here once and for all." Phobus held the same stead, confident tone as before but as I turned in Papyrus' grasp to see him I could tell he was nervous. He hid it well, I could give him that much credit, but there were certain aspects that made it quite obvious: the way his eyes shifted towards the door constantly to the way his form seemed more... goopy? 

     "We'll give you one chance." I spoke up, my voice much firmer now that I had Papyrus here. Both Phobus and Papyrus looked down at me with a mixture of confusion and caution. "One chance to turn yourself in and stop this fighting... A chance to be SPARED." Phobus kept my gaze for a moment before he let out a breathy chuckle. 

      "Surrender?... I knew you humans tended to be naive and hopeful but come on, do you honestly believe I would give up so easily?" His wicked smirk was back as he shook his head. 

     "I did not believe you would, but, I was not about to condone attacking a man who might stop this now." I stated firmly. "I-" Cutting off at the sound of voices near by I glanced towards the door as Phobus took another step back. "Besides, it seems you're running out of options. The others will be here soon and you will have no choice but to give up." Phobus sneered at me, raising his hand up towards us as the air filled with magic. Papyrus moved to push me behind him but I slid from his grasp to kneel in front of him. "We fight together, no matter what." I told him, the determination coursing through me leaving no room for debate. He looked absolutely dumbfounded for a minute before pulling me against his chest, taking hold of my arms and reaching them out with his. Magic danced across his bones, bouncing and swirling around me in return as I could feel my mark light up in response; my soul feeling lighter than ever as I looked up at him. Smoke poured out of his socket as it lite to life, the same color as the magic that worked around us. A soft smile lay on his face as I could see the glow of his mark before his expression changed to a smirk. 

      "We fight together, we're stronger that way." He nodded looking forward, my gaze following his. Leaning against him I could see Phobus' glare as he launched his magical attack. All my fear had left me as Spark formed in front of us, the dark colored magic of Phobus deflecting around us before Spark let out an earth shattering growl. Opening his jaw the room was a bathed in a white light before everything settled suddenly. The magic around us dissipated as I returned to feeling normal, Spark coming up to nuzzle us. With a laugh I gave him a pat on the snout before completely relaxing against Papyrus. "You doing ok there love?" The concern in his voice caused me to look up to see an equally worried expression. 

     "Yeah... I'm just.. really tired." I explained, my eyelids feeling like lead as I struggled to keep them open, Papyrus' voice becoming distant and soft as I was enveloped by exhaustion. 

....

Papyrus' P/V:

    My heart speed up for a second as Liliana passed out. She was still breathing which was good but since I'm not sure if she has a concussion it would have been better for her to stay away... Tearing my gaze away from her I cast a glare to the pile of goo staining the floor. Whether this.. 'Phobus' was actually dead or not I couldn't be completely sure. A gaster blaster packs enough of a punch without a doubt, but monsters of his species are known for being slippery and sneaky. With Spark in front of us I also couldn't tell if his soul had shattered. Shaking my head with a sigh I carefully stood up with Liliana in my arms. Spark followed behind as I left the room slipping through the mess of guards arresting different people. Once outside I could see Sans and Gaster anxiously waiting for me. Sans paced back and forth, muttering things to himself as I smiled. He never likes standing by idly, and while I had no doubt he was inside at some point, they had both agreed they would stay outside for backup and chaos control. 

     "Brother!" Sans was the first to notice me and came sprinting over, his gaze scanning over me before landing on Liliana.

     "I'm ok bro," I started, putting him at ease slightly. "And Liliana's a stubborn fighter, she'll keep hangin' on, though I would feel better the sooner we can get her looked at."

    "Sans, oversee the work here." Gaster commanded as he walked up to us, placing a scarred had on Liliana's head. "Papyrus, you and I will return home with Liliana so I can examine her." He finished looking up at me as I nodded. We turned to look at Sans who seemed conflicted before relenting. 

    "Yes, that is the wisest course of action... take care of each other brother, if I find you screwed things up with my future sister-in-law I'm gonna be ticked." He smirked slight as he marched off towards the building. 

   "What do you think I'm trying to do ya bonehead?!" I teased back with a laugh causing him to wave me off. 

    "Let's go." Gaster said putting a hand on my shoulder and I nodded before we disappeared in a cloud of smoke.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all ready to get Papyrus' P/V on the last few chapters? Cuz that's what's coming next :3


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place in the chapter 'A Reason to Hope' to 'Inner Strength'. It is simply Papyrus' Point of View.
> 
>  
> 
> Make sure you check the end notes as well!

Papyrus' P/V:

     My head throbbed with a dull ache; the pain sliding down my vertebra. With a groan, I rolled my neck to try and release some of the stress, though deep down I knew nothing would solve this until I found her. This pain was emanating from my soul from Liliana, mimicking the worst of her pain currently. My magic roared out from my skull, twisting and lighting up the dark forest as we marched through it. 

      "Keep your head on straight Papyrus." Gaster reprimanded coolly. "You do not need to use such a high amount of magic to track your blaster, and the illumination could alert the enemy of our arrival... I have no doubt you are worried a great deal more than the rest of us, but do not let it cloud your judgement, that is what gets the wrong people hurt. We will find her, I assure you." Shooting him a glare and a subtle glare I humored him. I knew he was right, but my magic was trying to go haywire as it read off the energy from my soul.

      "We'll be there soon brother, you've got Spark there confirming the destination and were able to get information on the group members from Dolores incredibly fast." 

      "Tch, she has at least a hint of a brain in that skull of hers." I mumbled, stuffing my hands in my pockets. Pain exploded in my head for a second causing me to grind my teeth and stumble. "Whatever those idiots are doing to her, I'm going to repay them ten-fold, but we need to pick up the pace!" Sans and Gaster exchanged a glance before nodding, signalling for the men to follow us at a bit of a distance before I took off. Slight burning covered the edges of my wrists as I raced through the forest focusing my thoughts on Liliana as my hand gripped where my mark is.

     _'It's ok... we're on our way, just hang on...'_ I thought, hoping to send reassurance to her soul. My mark flickered for a second before steadily lighting up. I grinned as a second of calm washed over me, giving me enough time to get a firmer grasp on my magic. Skidding to a stop I could hear my ragged breath as I stood on the outskirts of the forest clearing. Sans and Gaster were by my side within seconds and I could see Spark hiding nearby. My mark lit up brighter from the proximity, magic streaming towards it to connect with Liliana as it fizzled like the start of a fire. The burning around my wrists increased and it clicked as I associated the feeling. 

     "They've got her tied up somewhere in there." I hissed through my teeth.

      "Father and I will work on containment of the outside forces while the guards catch up, think you can weave your way inside?" Sans asked as he turned to me. A wicked grin spread across my face as I wiped off my shoulder. 

       "You got it bro, I'm the master at dodging after all." I replied with a wink. They nodded, going to work as the air filled with the scent of magic. The smug expression was quickly wiped off my face as pain visited my skull again, a firm force wrapping around my neck.  _'Liliana....'_  My feet moved before my mind fully caught up as I slid through the clearing, dodging and sending my magic through the bond.  _'Please work, please, please, damn it!'_  Running towards the door I let my magic spark off of me and pull me through time and space, Liliana's soul being my marker. Catching myself on the door frame I could see Liliana backed up against the wall as a monster dripping black dodged a steam of bones she sent his way. 

      "Look what we have here..." I made no attempt to hide the malice in my voice as every word dripped with venom. The monster spun towards me with a look that could only be described as a mix of disbelief, shock, and fear. Good. Liliana on the other hand looked towards me with a look filled with relief and joy as her shinning eyes threatened tears. "Why, you're just looking for a bad time aren't ya  _buddy._ " My voice shook through the room as I took a step in side. 

**No one touches my family.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya folks! It's a... been a little bit huh? Sorry, college and finals have been all over me and then family stuff as well! Anyways, I have something exciting to announce! December 16-22 is going to be the week of Marked! Meaning, I will have a new chapter up every day, and at least 3-4 pieces of official artwork! I hope you all our excited! Just a reminder, you can send asks for me or the characters on my tumblr, https://skeletonglasses.tumblr.com/, and send requests for oneshots of this story or of just skeletons in general on here or tumblr for my oneshot book! Also, on my tumblr I will have a poll for what artwork you want to see during the week of Marked! See you all in about a week!


	33. Home

Liliana P/V:

     It was.... soft and warm, like being surrounded in clouds and sunshine. A soft sigh escaped my lips as my eyes fluttered open. Blinking as I adjusted to the light I slowly began to sit up, the aches and pains starting to weave their way into my muscles. 

      "Easy there little flower," A firm hand gently pushed me back down. "We don't need you withering away just yet..." The voice chuckled softly though there was a hint of apprehension behind it. A laugh passed through me as well and I could feel the bandages pressed up against my back. The gauze and cloth rubbed against my hair and skin in uncomfortable fashion as I tilted my head to look at him.

     "Come on, you have to start giving me a bit more credit..." I smirked softly putting my hand over top of the one that still lay on my shoulder. Papyrus ran his other hand down his skull as it shook. The bags under his eyes were a dark orange and I wondered if they were connected to his magic. Surely that's the only way someone made of bones could have that characteristic right?... "How long have I been asleep?"

     "Its about midmorning of the fourth day." Papyrus sighed, laying his head down on the bed. His whole form hunched over and a tenseness ran through it. 

     "Have you slept at all?" I asked, shifting the pillows behind me to sit up better. 

     "Some... mainly when Sans or the old man came in to check on you for a while..." 

      "That's really not good for you health..." I sighed, taking his hand off my shoulder and holding it in my lap. "But I feel better knowing I had a brave knight by my side." I spoke in a teasing voice as his cheeks began to glow a light orange. He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as his golden cased fang shined in the morning light. "What happened after I passed out?"

     "Nothing too exciting, at least compared to what already happened... we rounded up the bad guys and locked 'em up." Papyrus shrugged. 

      "Ok, and the symbol they wore, do you know what it means?"

        "Yeah, it's for one of the gangs around this place. They call themselves the 'Nightterrors' and from what we can tell Phobus was one of the high ranking members. He was working on expanding their territory through less obvious means in order to increase power without having to necessarily fight their way through an entire town."

       "...is Phobus gone?" I question, albeit somewhat hesitantly.

      "I.... I'm not entirely sure." Papyrus admitted, sitting up straight. "Normally, when a monster dies, other monsters in the area are able to tell a soul has shattered... They can almost feel it in their own soul, granted a number of factors can affect how the near by monster feels about it.When I blasted Phobus though... I didn't feel anything from him, but there was no trace of him either... but, no matter what, he won't touch you again. I promise." He finished firmly, squeezing my hand reassuringly. My soul fluttered as I looked up at him, confirming that he would do everything in his power to keep his promise. Putting a hand to his shoulder I used it to brace my self as I sat up all the way, worry briefly passing over my soulmate's skull before I captured him in a hug.

       "Thank you." I whispered against his skull, laying my head on his shoulder. He seemed frozen for a minute before he encased me in a hug of his own. 

       "Anytime sweetheart." He softly replied.

       "What's with all the nicknames?" I pulled away just enough to look at him as I raised an eyebrow.

       "Do you not like them?" He retorted with a questioning look of his own. 

        "I asked my question first bonehead." 

      "Hmm, I guess it's sorta just a monster thing.... nicknames show you're close to someone and that you really know them."

        "Oh.... in that case... should I call you Honey?" I pondered looking up at him. His expression lay blank for a second before he fpulled me closer, his grip steady. 

       "Careful there love," His growled softly as I blinked in surprise. His breath was warm and smokey as it fanned across my face, his teeth slowly moving close to my lips. My hands bunched up in his rusty orange sweater as I tilted my head up towards him and closed my eyes. My nose brushed up against his and...

      "PAPYRUS! COME ON, YOU NEED TO COME OUT AND AT LEAST EAT SOMETHING!" The door shook with each bang that was placed upon it. For a second we just sat there unmoving until I couldnt stop the laughter that shook through my body. Although not the most comfortable thing right now, I couldn't help the stream of giggles and laughs that came out as Papyrus sat there dejected. Sans burst through the door as I laid my head back on Papyrus' shoulder trying to calm the laughter as Papyrus grumbled. "Lady Liliana! You are awake! This is wonderful new, oh, we must tell father and get you something to eat right away... I'm sure we can infuse it with some healing magic to further help you along in recovery and father will want to check you wounds again  no doubt." 

      "Its good to see you too Sans." I smiled, turning slightly in Papyrus' arms to look at him. For a second I thought I was hallucinating from how disheveled Sans looked compared to normal. Bags sat under his eyes as well (though much less pronounced compared to his brother) and his shirt was wrinkled, the buttons done in a mismatched fashion.I was torn from my analysis as I was carefully picked up into long skeletal arms and lead out with Sans immediately at our side, detailing the valiant efforts of four days ago and the feast that we would no doubt have shortly. With the boasting voice of Sans and the soft sweater of Papyrus pushed up against me... This felt like safety.


	34. Checkup

Liliana's P/V:

      Unsurprisingly, being asleep for four days leaves one incredibly hungry. It greatly helped in numbing the pains that had begun to surface since my waking up. After inhaling magically infused breakfast, the boys began to bicker as I watched in a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

      "We should take her back to her room! Father can check her injuries there and then she can get rest right away!" Sans argued with his hands firmly on his hips.

     "If we take her to the med room he'll have everything he needs right there! It'll take less than a second to 'port her back to her room!" Papyrus rolled his eyesockets.

     "Hey, I think that-"

      "She should not be teleporting while so injured! Who knows what it might do to impact the healing process!" Sans interrupted my sentence as neither seemed concerned. As they continued to raise their voices the sounds began to knock around inside my head. With a groan I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes with a sigh.

     "How are you feeling my child?" A smooth voice asked before a cool hand pressed against my forehead. Glancing over my shoulder I could see Gaster standing to my right, his hand checking my temperature. His expression was on of concern and focus. Casting a gentle smile towards him lightened him up slightly but he quickly went to checking my pulse in time with his watch.

     "Better now that all the excitement is over. Sans and Papyrus have been keeping me off my feet but I can tell I'm a bit beaten up. The food helped keep the aches away.... though I'm not going to lie, my head was beginning to hurt again and I'm still kinda drowsy..."

     "You're being honest..." He sighed as he stood up to his full height. "Good, the boys can get into a rather nasty habit of keeping things secrets, especially that soulmate of yours.

      "Hmm, I wonder where they ever could have gotten that from." I teased, raising my brow at the oldest of the skeletons. Gaster scoffed, though I could see the hint of a smirk behind his false offense. Our attention was drawn back to the boys as their argument continued. With a hum W.D. turned back to me on his heel and scooped me up with one arm.

     "We should be off, you need your rest but it would be advisable to look one four wounds again and redress them. If we wait for the boys it'll be hours before they reach any sort of consensus and frankly, is rather not waste my time."

      "Are you sure it's a good idea to just leave them though?" I questioned, grabbing onto Gaster lightly.

     "They're smart boys, I've raised them that way. I'm certain they can figure it out rather quickly. Or they'll assume you got up on your own, you did prove on our first encounter that you can be a rather prideful and stubborn woman when you want to. I don't think I had ever seen Papyrus trip so hard until that day."

      "Stars... I'll never live that down, will I?" I groaned, leaning my head against him.

      "I shall hope not, it showed you had a solid spark of determination and bravery within your soul. Besides, Papyrus needs someone to knock him down a few pegs now and then."

     "All of you can use that." I responded dryly as he turned into the medical room and set me down on the table.

      "Perhaps so.... I'm going to need you to take off your shirt Liliana. Your back was heavily bruised and healing magic doesn't work as effectively on surface wounds such as this. Still, it has helped take the edge off of it as well as the pain, plus we have tonics here that assist in the healing to a greater degree. None of your vertebrae were broken which is good, especially since you were moved after the fall. There were some fractures, however, they healed quite nicely with some healing magic as you rested." Gaster began to explain while I gently peeled the sweater off. Now that I looked at it is was orange and greatly oversized... maybe it is Papyrus'.... 

     "So, with my back it's just bruised now." 

      "Correct. Your head suffered a mild concussion which is stabilized and making process but you may still experience some fatigue, ringing of the ears, nausea, or dizziness. Should any of these come up in the next two days as it finishes healing with magical and medical assitance, let one of us know." I responded with a nod as he began taking off all the bandages with his magic and pulled out different bottles. "The is also bruising on your head, most likely from being yanked based on the spread. There was a cut there too, but it has been healed already. It may be slightly tender there but that should leave within the next few days. Anything else is just minor bruises or aches. If anything comes up or concerns you let me know."

     "Ok." I nodded again as Gaster looked over my neck and started applying the tonic. It was cold and thick as he spread it, reminding me of when Lady Katherine had done the same...

      "Has Papyrus seen your mark yet." 

      "I... no, not yet." I stammered as the cloth banana began to be wrapped around me.

      ".. for now, it would most likely be best to wait until your back has healed. He would most likely just get upset from seeing the bruising... and Liliana-"

      "Father!" Sans burst in as Gaster finished wrapping my back. I looked over quizically as I slipped my shirt back on carefully. "Her royal majesty is here!"


	35. Royal Presence

Liliana's P/V:

      "You guys know a queen?...I.. You know, why am I not very surprised..." I sighed, sliding off the medical table. Pain throbbed as my feet hit the floor but faded into an ache as I used the table to help support me. Gaster offered his hand though his mind seemed elsewhere as I took it.

       "....always coming at the worst of times..." Gaster muttered, pitching his nose bridge with a huff.

      "She's brought the entourage as well." Sans added looking hesitant. 

       "Wonderful." Gaster growled through his teeth. "Can't bother to come to any of our events but they have no trouble bursting into our home whenever they please."

      "Certaintly they can't be that bad?" My statement turned out to sound more like a question than anything. Gaster cast me a glance as we began to head out, my arm linking around his to better support myself. 

       "They.... have their ups and downs." Sans said vaguely as he hopped into step with us. 

       "Hopefully they will only be here for today... and as for you my dear, you will be resting up for the remainder of the day." W.D. gave a pat to the top of my hand as he turned down the hall to my room.

      "What? You can't be serious!" My head whipped up to the skeleton as he gave me an intrigued look. "I can't pass up an opportunity to meet some old friends of yours! Besides, I'm Papyrus' escape plan when he wants to get away from people." Sans scoffed, shaking his head while Gaster chuckled.

     "Papyrus can handle himself just fine, and you'll be here for quite some time so I have no doubt there will be other times for you to meet. Times when you are in full health." 

      "I..." Any argument died in my throat as I looked at Gaster's stern expression. "Fine..." I relented. 

      "Good." The monster smirked, leading me into my room. "Get some rest, one of us will be in the check on you before the day ends with some food."  He explained as I slid into bed.

      "Ok, well, good luck with her highness then." I joked lightly with an unsure smile. Gaster paused at my doorway, offering a smile in return before closing the door and leaving me in a comforting darkness.

                                                                               ......................

Gaster P/V:

      Bone scraped against bone as I dragged my hand down my face. Of all the times to be 'graced' by the royal courts presence it just had to be now. Rolling the stiffness from my shoulders I straightened my posture and smoothed my shirt. I could already hear Alphys' loud voice echoing now the hallways, I just prayed that Liliana would be far enough away to get some semblance of sleep. Especially once Sans joined in.

       "Gaster old friend, how wonderful of you to show up!" A kindhearted but booming voice quipped.

       "I don't see how I was given much of a choice." I countered exasperatedly as I offered my hand to the goat monster.

       "You may have a point there," Asgore laughed heartily as he pulled my hand into a firm shake. "But the real issue here is how hard you are working not only yourself, but your boys as well. I do hate to see you all treating self-care with such little respect." He sighed, slinging his arm around my shoulder. 

     "I'll admit we look a bit more... shaken than usual but that has been because of unusual circumstances."

       "Whatever do you mean? Is it because of the ball? I do not remember them being so tiring..."

      "No, not entirely... though I do think if I am going to have to explain this I would rather do so in the company of all the others to avoid redundancy." 

     "Whatever will you be explaining to us Gaster?" A smooth voice responded. Asgores voice could be compared to a fireplace, warm and comforting, a presence behind it. This voice however was like a wild fire, where beauty might be seen but easily turned into a destructive power.

     "Rather exhausting and cumbersome events my Queen, as well as a gang to lookout for in your territories." Toriel hummed as she came to a stop in front of us.

      "Well, we will have the next few days to discuss these events in detail." She nodded, seemingly making up her mind. "Now, let us be off to the others." The royal left no room for debate as she walked off with Asgore following after a moment of glaring.

     "That's was I was afraid of..." With a bitter sentence mumbled I followed after the Queen and Ex-King.


	36. Sleep Talk

Liliana's P/V:

     I woke up to the bed shifting and arms wrapping around my waist as something solid softly touched against my back. A yawn slid past my lips while I pushed myself up with my forearms, looking down at the figure beside me. 

     "nnnnoooo...." Papyrus whined, his voice scratchy with sleep. 

     "I'm not going anywhere you goof, I was just concerned when I suddenly felt another person in what's supposed to be my bed." I rolled me eyes.

     "Ya' saying you don't want me here? Doll, I'm hurt..." He cracked an eyesockets open to look at me. 

     "First, you're putting words in my mouth. Second, I haven't shared since I was a kid with my parents. Third, I was promised food when I got my nightly checkup." 

     "Its on the desk." Sure enough a tray laid on the bedside table and eventually Papyrus refused to move as I leaned over to get it, I managed to set it on my lap without spilling anything.  Wiggling a bit I pushed myself up to sit up right against the baseboard of the bed. 

      "How did the company go?" I asked through mouthfuls. Whether it was the magic infused in the meals or just the cooking itself, they were incredible and I would have to remember to find and compliment Muffet. Papyrus groaned as he sat up and stretched his shoulder.

     "Alright I guess, longer than any of us want to deal with." He huffed as he flopped onto his chest and laid his head down on the pillow. "They decided not along are they gonna drop in but they're gonna stay for multiple days which isn't anything new but it's sure as heck not appreciated. Plus, now they all want to meet you and question our prisoners and yada, yada, yada. Like we can't handle it ourselves." Sliding his skull to the side he looked up at me as I hummed and finished eating, stretching to out the tray back again. 

       "You should probably get some rest then, it sounds like we've got a long few days ahead of us." My reply ended with a nudge towards the door.

       "You're right..." Papyrus sighed, snuggling into the pillow further. ".. think I can stay here, just for the next few nights. It helps my soul calm now by being so close to you..." Half of the sentence was almost unaudioable as he relayed it under his breath with his face pushed into the pillow. My heart skipped a beat at the thought that I had that effect on someone... though it really shouldn't be that surprising as he is my soulmate. Still, it put a smile on my face as I ran my hand over the back of his skull. 

     "I suppose, because of how crazy things have been recently a couple nights sharing a room with you wouldn't hurt..." Was he.. purring? I had to stifle a giggle as I continued to pet his skull for a minute. "But don't think I don't kick you out if it comes to it."I added with a smirk before sliding down under the covers as Papyrus feigned a gasp.

      "Why sweetheart, how could you assume such a thing about me! I am nothing if not a gentleman." Papyrus rolled over to face me while I plopped my head down on the pillow. It was cool and sunk slightly under the new weight. For a while we just stared at each other, the silence soft and surrounding. 

     "Goodnight Papyrus." I breathed out.

       "g'night darlin'" Papyrus returned just as quietly, brushing a stand of hair behind my ear before closing his eyes. Closing my own eyes slept found me better than it had in years.


	37. Introduction Trail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I.... i was really excited to do these character descriptions...  
> ...  
> Does this even count in moving the plot along....  
> ...  
> I'm not even sorry lol

Liliana's P/V:

     Waking up snuggled into a skeleton was definitely different... but not necessarily bad. Skeletons were surprisingly comfy. It almost drew me back into sleep, especially when he began to run his hands through my hair. But, the sunshine that poured into the room and thought that Sans might come barging in to wake me up motivated me enough to sit up and ignore the whine from Papyrus that followed.

      "Come on, up and at up skeleton man." I nudged the pile of bones as I carefully got up and headed towards my closet.

      "Woah, hey, easy there hot stuff,  you shouldn't be on your feet too much." Papyrus hopped put of bed quicker the  expected as he quickly held my arm to support me.

      "Well, I'm going to have to be to get changed and walk to meet the others. Don't think you're getting around either of those." I told him  firmly while meeting his gaze. "And you are not helping me get changed." I added, snapping his jaw shut before he could form the words. "I'll be fine, now wait out my closet and I will be done in just a minute. You'll hear if anything happens so don't worry." With a sigh and unexpected kiss on the cheek he obliged. He quietly shut the door behind him and, after taking a minute to collect myself I chose a simple, looser dark green dress with flowers along the edge. The sleeves were snug around my forearms, the fabric right before it spilling over as it puffed out. My love was quick to take hold of my arm again as I exited, this time I held onto his in return and we made about way out towards the dinning room. Within a matter of minutes we ran into our first introduction of the day.

    The primary colors have always been bold, almost opposing colors. Yet, the blended together with an a sense of harmony on the monster before me. Her scales where pale and selected the light from above against their turquoise sheen. Fiery locks were pulled into a swirling bun, their bangs tucked to the side behind hole littered fins that fluttered slightly. Rouge colored the thin skin and was brushed above the striking yellow eyes,  their sharp pupils intensely stuck on me through the rims of the rectangular glasses. A white dress fitted her figure well as poofing sleeves were stuffed into slick, tight gloves pulled above her elbows. A series of straps crossed around her chest and waist. They were mostly empty save for a few vials. Her grin broke out wide as yellow shark teeth interlocked intricately.

    "Um... hello, it's nice to meet you. My name is Liliana." Smiling sweetly I offered my available hand to her.

      "Fascinating..." She whispered leaning in closer to me as Papyrus' grip on me tightened by a fraction. "Do you know how unprecedented it is for you to be the soulmate of a monster? Disregarding the fact that he is a boss monster at that. Truly it is remarkable.. and you, there is so much to learn about you..." Her eyes shined as she slowly shook my hand and I pushed against Papyrus more. I believe in the benefit of the doubt, an ideal I'm certain I will need to implement as I meet more of the skeleton families friends, but it was hard to break the edge from both recent events and the hungry look she was giving me.

      "Its rude not to give your name in return Undyne." Papyrus spoke up in a gruff voice as he continued forward, leaving the fish woman to follow us as she snickered. 

      "It would appear you have done my job for me there. Honestly, could you expect me not the get excited and wrapped up in the possible of this? It's just so exciting!"

      "We're not your lab rats, and if you treat us like 'em I won't hesitate to throw you out."

      "Ouch, that's not what friends do Papyrus!" Undyne seemed completely unperturbed by the threat. 

      "Besides darling, we know your father would not allow you to do such a thing." A softer, more melodic voice chimed in. Looking at the source it seemed to be a ghost, one with a pink hue. The had two eyes on the right side of their face, the other covered it what appeared to be a lock of hair. A small smile lay on their face as they joined our group, floating gracefully. "Hello there, my name is Hapstablook, though most around here call me Happy."

      "Its a pleasure to meet you! My name is Liliana." 

      "Oh, you've got yourself quite the cutie Papyrus! You must let me doll you up some time darling!" The excitable ghost now opted to fly in front of me as we walked.

      "Happy here is quite good at all that makeup and outfit stuff." Papyrus guestered with an unconcerned wave of his hand. "He knows what he's doing."

      "Yeah, but they have no idea what they're doing when it comes to music!" At the third addition Happy scoffed, flipping their 'hair'. With a wink he came into view, a robot monster with a color scheme of silver, deep purple, plus white and black. Ilver metal skin sported black stripes and markings consistently; four pairs of golden eyes showing above his smirk. White hair stuck out in every direction, though it seemed methodically so, purple headphones placed on top. His chest looked almost made of glass with a light purple heart inside, with a purple puffy vest over top. His hands were completely black, similar to his legs form his waist down. His arms and legs seperated and floated from his body, always staying close but bobbing slightly as he walked.

      "This ungrateful, illmannered degenerate is my cousin, Napstablook." Happy sighs. Giving a small wave Napstablook replied with a mock salute.

     "You can call me anything you like though baby doll." That ripped a loud growl from Papyrus as Napstablook looked accomplished. "Down boy! You know I'm just messing with ya." He chuckled, running a hand through his hair as Papyrus muttered curses towards him under his breath. A smile up at him and pat on the arm seemed to help calm him down, at least enough to quiet a bit.

      "I ain't breaking up the fight that you cause from your idiocity bucket of bolts." A scratchy voice interrupted.

      "Never heard that name before..." Napstablook rolled his eyes, brushing his hair to the side before hovering off. "I've got remixes and music to design, I'll see you all after breakfast." 

     "I'd better make sure he doesn't throw a temper tantrum." Happy huffed before floating off. The click of boots against the floor echoed as another visitor appeared. They seemed close in height to Sans, walking with a similar authority and strength. Their skin was yellow, on the side of browns and oranges; it was littered in scars of varying sizes. Their eyes held a tint of red as they gazed towards the side at me, a hint of sharp canines peaking out from their lips. A black tanktop laid as a base for silver chestplate. Claws showed through finger less gloves; brown pants and black boots being the only other items of the outfit they wore. A tail swished behind her as she walked.

      "You're Liliana huh... I'm Alphys, head of security for her majesty. Sans says you have spunk, and you've held up a lot better than most humans. Hope you keep that reputation up." She said before following in the same direction as Napstablook had, Undyne hurrying after her. 

     "How many are left?" I asked up to Papyrus.

     "Just two, her majesty and old fluffy buns." He listed them off on his fingers.With a confused expression I looked up at him, ready to ask before I was beaten to jt.

     "I'm afraid that second one would be me." Looking ahead a new figure stood there. "And you must be Liliana, it is so wonderful to meet you my child." The goat monster spoke with such a gentle voice full of kindness I couldn't help but relax as he took both of my hands in his large paws. His hair was a faded yellow as it fell over his shoulders, matching the color of his tired eyed that looked at us fondly. His horns swooped upwards and faded to black, his fur white and shining like snow. Long ears slid over his shoulders, the white fur mixing in with his hair and beard. A black tunic laid over a white long sleeved shirt, tied with a golden rope around his waist. There was a red symbol enstitched into the tunic. White pants finished the outfit as he spoke again. "My name is Asgore, and I have known Gaster since we were just youngin, so it is such a joy to see his sons growing up and falling in love now." 

    "I'm certain you have all sorts of good stories to tell about them then." Papyrus stiffed slightly beside me.

      "Indeed I do, I'll be sure to tell you them all over a spot of tea. For now though, let us get you something to eat. You must be famished and I can be sure to help heal you further on your road to recovery."

     "Thank you, that would be nice." I smiled at him as he began go lead us on, Papyrus keeping ahold of my hand as Asgore supported me to the dining room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psh... who needs the queen.
> 
> Don't worry she'll be here next chapter (finally)


	38. Breakfast

Liliana's P/V:

      Asgore let our a warm fatherly vibe as he and Papyrus punned all along the trip to the dinning room. He smelled strongly of butterscotch and cinnamon, yet, it was homey and comfortable unlike a perfume would be. Giggling I shook my head at the banter between them. For moments like this, I could definitely get used to dealing with a plethora of puns. 

      "It would appear we are here my child." The more serious tone Asgore used surprised me as he looked at the door with a solemn expression. "I must warn you, the queen can be a bit... abrasive and weary towards humans. Nevertheless, I can assure you no harm will come to you. She would not hurt you, at least for the time being, because of your ties to Papyrus. If she is foolish enough to try..." His voice held venom as he continued the thought. "Well.. we will protect you little one." With a complete 180 on moods he smiled kindly at us before pushing the doors open. Everyone perked up at our arrival, looked at us over the food spread out. Gaster gave a small nod and reassuring smile while Sans gave a smirk before sitting down at the table. Alphys and Undyne sat next to each other, their expressions varying from intreiged to neutral. The final figure in the room demanded attention quickly as they stood.

      Her fur was a shimmering white similar to Asgore's, though it seemed more worn. Small horns curled up from her temple, arching back and pointing upwards at the ends. Between them sat a golden crown, sharp and regal like it's wearer, a single black gem resting in the center. The collar of her dress stood out sharply from her ears and face as the black fabric arched up at the sides. Corset tied firmly around her waist accentuated her figure before the fabric draped to the floor. Gold listened from her chestplate and large shoulderplates. The deep purple cape cascaded down her sides and delicately laid on the floor, trailing behind her. Purple pupils laced with a golden yellow stared down at me, analyzing my movements. Her presence caused me to freeze for a minute, Papyrus giving me a reassuring stroke across the knuckles. Snapping out of if I quickly let go of Asgore's arm in order to give a proper curtsy; Papyrus' grip on my right hand helped make sure I did not fall as I stood back up straight. 

      "You are here... good, now we can eat." Her voice was silky and attention demanding as she turned and sat with a flip of the cape. Asgore sat on the opposite side of the table to the queen and her court (plus Sans who sat at the seat next to Gaster like usual). Papyrus followed suit, letting me take his usual spot next to W.D. who was at the head. He simply slid into the next seat putting him between me and Asgore. Breakfast began in silence as everyone got food and began to eat. Asgore snatched my food up before I had a change to touch it, including it with extra healing magic. The green magic that sparked from his fingertips and sunk into my food was amazing to watch and I made certain to thank him as it was passed by Papyrus back to me. It would have been more unsettling, but the boys made sure to send me comforting looks whenever we made eye contact. "Liliana."

      "Yes!" I responded with a jolt as I locked gazed with the queen. 

      " Now that we have eaten, I would like to speak with you for a moment in private." She continued as if my reaction was normal as she stood up with poise.

     "No offence your highness, but with everything that she's been through and her current condition, I don't think that's the best idea." Papyrus quickly interjected. However the queen did not seem to mind as she head towards the doors, looking over her shoulder at me as she reached them. With a pause and a deep breath I pushed out my chair while standing up. Papyrus grabbed my forearms with a hesitant look. In turn I slipped my hand into his and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before following after the royal figure. With a skull covered in blush I assumed that would at least but us a bit of time before he intervened. Besides, it would be better to get this over now when the healing magic had it's strongest effect on my wounds. The soft pad of my feet and the tapping of her shoes were the only sounds for the first few minutes of our walk through the hallways. Nervously wringing my hands I peeked up at her through the corner of my eyes but hers were focused straight ahead.

      "You are not at all what I expected for the soulmate of Papyrus." Her tone gave no hints as to the emotions she was feeling.

      "I think that's how a lot of people are feeling right now.." I responded cautiously as I scratched the back of my neck. She hummed in response before coming to a stop.

      "My actions as queen are determined in large part by my people. I take a course of action to help them live, have a better future, to protect them." She explained without looking at me as I stopped with her. "Few people do I trust to be in my court. To be in my inner circle. Whether they believe it or not, the skeletons have earned a place there. In monster culture, you could say they are the equivalent of my family at this point and I would hate for anything bad to befall them." Catching onto the point she was laying down a spark ignited in my soul.

     "I understand. I have lost a great deal of people I considered family, so even though it may be different I can relate to not letting many people into the sphere of those I trust. Papyrus, Sans, and Gaster I know I haven't known for near as long as you probably has..." The queen slowly began to turn towards me and for a moment I hesitated as those purple orbs looked at me. The fire in my soul pushed me onwards. "But, they are my family and some of the most loyal people I've met. I don't have magic but I would do everything in my power to protect them. I love them, and I'm not going anywhere." 

      "Ever the curious human, not many would say such things about our kind. Be certain we will hold you to those words." The queen shook her head slightly. "I will be in my quarters for the moment should any of the others need me, while should you head back." She finished as she walked away, pausing as she began to turn the corner, giving me one last look. "My name is Toriel. Welcome into the ranks of the kingdom of monsters." And with that, she left me alone in the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Her royal majesty...  
> ...  
> Is not what what I expected. - Liliana


	39. Girl Talk

Liliana's P/V:

     Almost as quickly as I entered the dinning room I was pulled back out;with the promise that I rest my legs. Happy lead the way as Alphys, Undyne and I followed along. Once everyone was seated they demanded to know the story of how I had met each of the boys along with more details on what lead up to my kidnapping.

     "Now, for the important question. When is the wedding!" Hapstablook smiled wide.

    "I..you see.. um, me and Papyrus haven't even really thought about that. To tell the truth, we haven't even had our first kiss." My face heated up.

     "That idiot!" Alphys slammed her hands on the table. "Just how slow is he trying to drag this out?"

     "To his defense," I interjected. "Its not like we've had much time to spend together since I've told him. Besides that there would be so much to get ready for that. We got to plan who would be invited, how long it all would be, where to have it, and that's not even including things like where I'm going to find a good dress."

     "Darling, don't you even worry about it," The ghost smile up at me pulling a measuring tape put of thin air. "You are going to look radiant on your wedding day! I'll personally see to it. I pride myself in using only the best of materials so there will be no need to be concerned about comfort. Your hair.. It has a great number of possibilities from intricate updos tied together with glistening and glittering pins to cascading curls that I can pull back to frame your face gently." Happy spun all around me, running hands through my hair or taking measurements. 

     "Slow down, I don't even know how I want to look on the day of the wedding. Or what the wedding would be like." I pulled back.

    "Oh, but you must have some vision about this day, what girl doesn't?" Happy pressed onwards. 

     "Not every girl is focused on the married life." I rolled me eyes. "But I won't lie.. there were some days when my mind would wonder to the possibility of finding my soulmate, falling in love and all that other stuff." Leaning forward I rested my chin in the palm of my hand. "Never anything like this though." A chuckle mixed with a sigh came out as I shook my head, looking away and out the window instead of the stares. "I haven't ever been one for super showy displays. I don't mind a special event or pop here and there but not all the time or super huge. Whenever I thought about it, I always imagined my wedding outside. The decoration and dress have never been very consistant or necessarily similar; they just all carry the same feeling. It's light and airy, simple and comfortable. The focus isn't on some big party or elaborate items, just that we'd finally be together..." Opening the eyes I didn't realized I had closed I turned back to the three other girls in the room. All looked at me intently causing my to jump back to sitting up straight. "I-um.. well, I mean I haven't even talked remotely about this sort of thing to Papyrus yet so I don't know if it would be better to do it another way or if he wouldn't like that. I, it's just what first came to my mind but I'm not the most feminine of girls and-"

      "Its perfect." The deeper voice of Alphys surprised me and she crossed her arms in return to my expression. "Obviously you'll have to iron out the details with Papyrus, but, soulmates have to do in large part with feelings right? So, the day you two show you are going to remain true together forever should also. If it's what feels right to you than that's the right way to do it. Simple as that. If it's not what other people want then that's their problem, after all it's not there wedding, suck it up." The lizard monster shrugged.

      "Alphys is right." Undyne nodded a few times in agreement, their hand resting over their chest. Their expression was more serious than I had seen before but their eyes were softer. "I know in human culture there is a specific way it is suppose to play out and they view it as the fancier and bigger the better. However, in monster culture, weddings between two different parties may occur in completely different ways. It could be structured and regal, with specific ceremonies and rituals to convey vows and promises. Or, it could be casual with only an exchanging of rings and a few words before they are married and it is done. What matters is that both the bride and groom are happy with how it proceeds and they are able to show their love for each other."

      "Are their any other monster marriage customs it's would be good to know?" I asked.

     "Most you can learn from Papyrus, he'd probably only mention those that he's actually concerned about. Still, one of the biggest and most universal is to display soulmate marks. I've never heard of a monster wedding without it, but I know it varies for human weddings." Hapstablook explained.

     "Why is it such a big deal?"

     "It shows that both parties have completely accepted their other half. They are not ashamed in anyway to let people know who they are tied to."  Undyne added, adjusting her glasses.

       "Happy, you said you'd be willing to make my wedding dress?" My tone questioning as I looked over at them. 

      "Oh, of course dear!" They twirled with excitement, an eager tone in their voice.

       "Could I make a request?" They blinked at this before laughing.

      "Its your dress, while I know my stuff I would be remiss if I didn't take into account the input of my clients and using it in a fabulous way."

     "Do you think you could cut the back low enough my mark would be visible? I know it might make holding the actual dress up harder but if it's an important custom I definitely want to follow it as best I can." 

      "I just knew Papyrus had gotten a good one when I saw you." Happy whispered. "And you leave all those details to me, I'll make sure it won't be a decision you regret." 

     "Thank you Hapstablook. Now, the next order of business is bridesmaids. Would you three be interested in accompanying us on the aisle that day?"

      "You want us to be your bridesmaids?" Undyne's fins spread out in disbelief as she pointed to herself.

       "I'm going to cut it plainly, for one thing I don't exactly have any friends besides the skeletons at this point. And from what I've heard, you all have known each other for quite some time now so at the very least I need to learn to put up with you. Hopefully we can all become friends, but for now I just have this feeling that it would mean a great deal to the boys."

      "Not looking to hide anything, good." Alphys grinned. "I'm down, but we're going to throw the craziest bachelorette party this world has ever seen! And you won't be wimping out of anything on the wedding day, you hear!"

     "I wouldn't have it any other way," I grinned back. "The boys do say I tend to get myself into a bit of trouble, so it'll be good having you three watch my back."


	40. Comfort

It's dark. 

Yet it also seems too bright.

Colors whisper by, swirling around me as if they are trying to hold me down. Where ever they touch feels hot.

Too hot.

But they are everywhere, even as the darkness suffocates me through them. The only way out is through. Even as I'm certain I'm screaming through the chasing colors, all I hear is static. 

A constant ringing within my ears.

**'Don't stop moving. If you stop, you die.'**

Thats the only information supplied to me through my stumbling haze. A spark of hope entered as the chasing colors began to disappear from view. 

That was quickly replaced with a hammering heartbeat as the black began to shift and drip around me. It grabbed onto my legs and kept me from moving, like a quicksand of syrup as I tried to take heavy steps forward, reaching for anything that could help. 

Please.

Someone.

Anyone. 

There had to be something.

I...

I don't want to be alone anymore.

I don't want to run anymore.

I...

I want to stop hurting.

....why does it hurt so much?...

Please.

Make it go away.

The only sign that let me know tears were flowing down my face was the chill they left in their wake. They didn't save me from seeing the nightmare around me as the black shifted, forming something familiar and yet foreign that filled me with dread. Something sparkled in the air, white and powdery, like acid as it traveled through my lungs.  

This was wrong. I couldn't remember the name of this but it shouldn't be here. It hurt to think about and sent echoing voices through the static. 

The black pulled me further down, it now covered my knees and I could barely wade forward. My hands gripped my skull, hair weaving around my fingers. Even when I slammed my eyes shut I could still see everything clearly.

Make it stop.

....please...

...

      Launching up from bed I let out a choked sob. My fists clenched hard enough onto the sheets to be shaking. Slowly I unlocked them, letting my fingers stretch and gather the fabric again to keep checking that this was real. Sweat beaded across my mind, sending a chill through my bones. Raking my hands through my hair I flopped back against the pillows on my bed, not letting my eyes stay shut for more than a fraction of a second. My dream was a mess of overwhelming sensations and unclear images, but one thing was certain. I did not want to be back there. And there was not way I could get back to sleep like this. With almost robotic movements I swung my legs to the side and sat up. Simply sitting there I paused to think about what I would do now. My stomach was too wound up for anything to sound remotely appetizing. Lighting a candle should give me enough light to read till the others would be up and about... however my mind felt to muddled and heavy to focus on anything for too long. Reaching my arm up I let it slide over my shoulder blade towards the center of my upper back. Perhaps...

      Standing up with a creak from the bed I grabbed a tone from the closet and tossed it over my nightgown as I headed out the door. My injuries felt like they were being pushed further into my skin and yet numb at the same time. Stopping at the wooden door I hesitated for a moment before shaking my head and knocking softly. After a moment of silence I tried again and wrapped a hand around the cold brass of the handle. Pushing it open I could see the figure shifting to sit up in bed. 

      "...Papyrus?..." My voice came put scratchier than I was expecting. "I.. sorry for waking you I just thought that..." Taking the slightest step forward my hand tightened around the metal handle. "...I don't want to be alone right now." I wasn't even sure he heard the last part as I stared at the ground. The rustle of fabric was followed by the slow steps of bone against wood before his hand gently took mine off the handle. 

      "Ok. I've got you." Papyrus' response was simple but caused me to choke on my breath, covering my mouth as the cries began to break free. Long arms encircled me as I was firmly pressed against the skeleton who rubbed my back slowly.

It was dark, but it was calm.

I was surrounded, but it was secure.

It was warm, but it was comforting.

It was quiet, save for the light shushing coming from Papyrus.

     How much time passed wasn't important, but Papyrus kept me close as the tears spilled out and my breathing began to even.

      "Let's get you back to bed sweetheart." His smooth voice said before he guided me towards the bed with a steady hand. Sliding underneath the blankets I finally looked up at Papyrus' eyelights as he got in next to me. They were softer than usual, a bit fuzzy around the edges. His false tooth caught the only traces of light it could find, giving it a dull shine on occasion. Laying down beside me a felt a calming buzz in my chest as he pulled me closer. Leaning my head against his chest I fell asleep matching my breaths to his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trauma doesn't just go away, and thats ok. Trauma's affects dont always make sense, and thats ok. 
> 
> It takes time to heal.
> 
> And that's ok.


End file.
